Review of I Am Chris Farley (2015) by Stephen P — 17 Jan 2017

Having grown up a big Chris Farley fan, I recently searched out his Hank Williams, Jr. impersonation on his last SNL appearance, as I remember thinking that it was incredibly funny. It was, but there was this strained, smoldering desperation in his portrayal. The YouTube algorithms then directed me to some his last TV talk show appearances, in which this same dark undercurrent of physical and psychological decline were present. There was something disturbing and fascinating about this footage, so I thought it would be interesting to watch a documentary about him and see what insights could be gleaned about his life and these sad, final days.

This film, unfortunately, offered no such insights. It was the standard Hollywood soundbite recollection fest, in which the stars of SNL and some films recall Farley with an almost masturbatory sense of self-congratulation. They talk about how lucky they were to have been in his presence, remember that he had "it," ruminate about a talent so expansive that it defies analysis. Farley, in their appraisal, was everything to everyone, a star among stars. Unfortunately, this constant onslaught of show biz hagiography replaces any real insight the viewer can have into Farley. We don't learn about his final days, conflicts on the SNL set are glossed over, very few of his personal insecurities are explored in great detail. This is followed by the standard Hollywood lament about a star who burned too brightly and let himself be consumed by his demons. There are a few touching moments, such as when a college friend reads The Clown's Prayer, a discussion of his charity work, or when his family recalls how he wanted to please his father. At the end, however, the film comes off as a slickly produced version of a VH1 Remember the 90s show and, when the nostalgia wears off, one is still left wondering about why Chris Farley really went down the path that he did.