I Am Chris Farley

I Am Chris Farley (2015)

*** (out of 4)

Nice and touching documentary about the short life of comedian Chris Farley who found himself skyrocket to fame very quickly but it all came crashing down when he died at the age of 33. Adam Sandler, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Jay Mohr, Jon Lovitz, Bob Saget, David Spade, Bo Derek and Lorne Michaels are some of the famous faces who share their memories of Farley but we also get interviews with two of his brothers who discuss his early life.

If you're a fan of Farley then you'll really enjoy this documentary that plays more like a tribute than anything else. We see a lot of footage from his Saturday Night Live days and we also get to hear some nice stories about what he was like as a child as well as his days in college where it seems his addiction to alcohol started. The documentary spends the majority of its time looking at the various highs that Farley had in his life while it pretty much skates around his addiction and early death. I think what I was most disappointed in is that the film really didn't shine enough of a spotlight on his death and it's really just mentioned in the passing moments. People talk about a dark side of Farley and the torments of fame but it pretty much is mentioned and the movie is then over.

The Documentary, despite it being seemingly rushed a bit, is a nice touch to just give a final respect to a guy, who just couldn't help himself being nothing else but The Clown (in good sense). I will always cherish, as an European here in Hungary and Slovakia, his natural, raw talent of being The entertainer of his time, I have been and will always laugh at his great sketches and funny movies like Beverly Hills Ninja, which is really close to my heart to this day. He was simply a good-hearted guy who, with his purity, had to face with the classic enemy in the show business: To live up to his self image anytime he could, and was doing it with everything he could pull out of himself. We get you Chris Farley, and we love you for it. RIP!

"As I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness than gloom, spread more cheer than despair.

Never let me become so indifferent, that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child, or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.

Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy, and forget momentarily, all the unpleasantness in their lives.

And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper: "When you made My people smile, you made Me smile."

Moving from beginning to end. I grew up watching SNL and Farley's films, and this documentary truly moved me. Other reviewers criticisms of this film seem to mainly be that his addictions and death did not get the time it deserves is silly to me and misses the point entirely. Just because it is a documentary, does not mean that it needs to be half positive and half the negatives to balance things out. This was made as a love letter to the man that touched so many of our lives in his short time on this earth and nothing more. It is said best towards the end of the film, that Chris was always hard on himself and never really saw what we all saw in him. This film seemingly is trying to say to Chris today, you WERE that amazing, and genuine, and hilarious, and here is how WE all saw you since you could never see it yourself. To add more about his death and dark moments would take away from this primary goal, and turn it into more of a tragedy than the celebration it was meant as. Great work, great documentary, and a great comedian lost too soon.

Within the first five minutes of I Am Chris Farley, you will be overcome with the sense of loss and grief. We go back to when Chris was just a child and see his siblings talking about their departed brother, and the loss of a beloved family member becomes instantaneously too real. You will laugh, a lot, you will cry, a lot, but most of all you will miss him, a lot.

I Am Chris Farley is a documentary told with love and respect for the person, not a glorifyingly tacky exploration of demons (a la an E! True Hollywood Story episode). It celebrates Farley, his warm and tender nature and natural ability to touch our funny bones. And while it must touch upon the factors that resulted in his death, those minor notes are not the point of the documentary.

Instead, I Am Chris Farley does a wonderful job of highlighting the man. Taking time to focus on little gems in his personality and comedic habits, bringing them full circle - showing that perhaps Farley never deviated much from that sensitive kid from Wisconsin who wanted to be liked. Some people may criticize the film for glossing over the darker components of his life; however, any audience member with a semblance of empathy will be able to infer the cause of death, without needing the documentary to explicitly go into the sordid details.

To be frank, I don't know how the directors, Brent Hodge and Derik Murray, were able to sway so many individuals to participate in this film, but I am incredibly happy that they did. With seemingly no connection to Center City, SNL, Wisconsin or any of the comedic actors involved in this documentary, they were able garner the approval of Farley's friends and family and tell the quintessential Chris Farley story. Hodge and Murray are able to capture the magic that was Farley in this narrative, and convey the love and talent of the man.

I Am Chris Farley starts with his family and up bringing in Madison Wisconsin, told through anecdotes from his brothers that will have you chuckling and saying to yourself "yup, that sounds like Chris." Though, like most people, you never had the opportunity to meet the energetically larger than life individual, and your only perception of him is through a screen. From there, we follow Chris to college and get a more comprehensive view of the man and how he came to pursue comedy as a profession. Onward to Chicago, then New York, then Hollywood and then...

In the hour and half documentary, you will feel as though you too knew and were able to call Chris Farley a friend. And the end of I Am Chris Farley will hurt, and though you know he wouldn't want you to cry, you just won't be able to stop yourself.

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This is a nice documentary about Chris Farley. It takes his life chronologically. It shows an idyllic upbringing with his loving family. He's definitely the class clown. Then it's on to Second City and Saturday Night Live. All the great comedians tell wonderful stories about him. It's a lovely fun time. The last act has more about his addiction problems. It's not hidden in the movie but it doesn't dwell on it. It's probably the only glaring thing missing. It doesn't so much gloss over Farley's problems as much as explain it away. After the midway point, a tougher documentary would have zeroed in on his addictions. It takes the material with a lighter touch. It's to be expected with a film that has the full cooperation of his family and friends.