I AM CHRIS FARLEY Trailer

There is a magic in entertaining people. In life, people suffer from a number of misfortunes often caused by the actions of other humans. Personally, I don’t like the suffering of others. Everyday I try to make each day less awful for those around me. Most times I just try to be decent and say the phrases “thank you” and “excuse me”. Other times I like to act like an idiot in front of people. Making people laugh is awesome. If they’re caught in your positive energy, everyone is going to have a good time. Chris Farley understood this. Everyone near him or watching him through the TV screen got caught up in his charm and we loved him. Then he left us. This is the trailer for I am Chris Farley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r835keCmzHM

This documentary is directed by Brent Hodge and Derik Murray. Guest speakers include Adam Sandler and Mike Meyers. It’s a recollection of memories regarding the man known as that guy who stayed in a van down by the river. In all honesty, there is nothing action-packed to keep your attention here. This is more a reflection about a human being who entertained a certain generation and lost out to his vices. One of the things that stick to me are the last words Farley is said to have uttered before his death: “Don’t leave me.” I’m truly sorry he passed on alone from this world.

Since there is a lack of new material, we’ll go over what’s in the trailer. There are many actors and actresses taking the time to speak about Farley. One of the most recognizable people you may notice is Bob Odenkirk of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fame. He talks about how a person has to be themselves sometimes and essentially switch off from their public persona. I think it’s a common issue that people see actors as their characters rather than people. Some just saw him as that fat funny guy. For a kid like me at the time, he was someone to look up to because he wasn’t typically someone to emulate. Growing up, looking down on fat people was the norm. He gave hope to a kid that thought people hated him just for how he looked.

A lot of Farley’s time was spent on Saturday Night Live and he made many memorable skits. One of the scenes you see in the trailer is his Chippendales sketch with the late Patrick Swayze. The great thing about that is that it challenged the definition of sexy. Swayze was a recognized hunk at the time that sketch was recorded. Then you see Farley flailing around. As the sketch goes, it’s a competition to hire a new dancer for the club. Swayze wins but the judges explain that Farley would have been their choice if it wasn’t for his obviously unhealthy appearance. It was so funny and incredibly daring for a performer to even attempt.

One of Farley’s most recognizable characters is Matt Foley, who you will see in the trailer. Created by Odenkirk and played by Farley, Matt Foley was an unconventional motivational speaker. Unconventional as he was, his message was incredibly effective. Nobody wants to be “35 years old, eating a steady diet of government cheese, thrice divorced and living in a van down by the river!” You can see David Spade and Christina Applegate trying to reign in their laughter during the trailer’s opening.

I’ll be honest here, this isn’t my usual attempt at trailer analysis. If anything, I needed a little breather from the real world right now. In thinking about Chris, I’m reminded of other great performers like Phil Hartman and Robin Williams. As bluntly as I can state this, tragedy sucks. These were great people who didn’t deserve to have their flames extinguished as they were. Our world, this big blue ball in space, is often cruel in so many ways. Laugh at it. Let’s all have a good time with each other in the short time we have. At the least, don’t make things worse.

There is only one release date for this film and it’s in Canada. Looks like I’m taking a trip on June 15th 2015.

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(top image source: Virgil Films)