Chris Farley's Lovable Legacy Endures 25 Years After His Death
Today, comedy almost feels like a dying art. Big blockbuster comedy films are rare. Sitcoms have given way to HBO and Netflix drama and action series. And Saturday Night Live has seen its relevance wane now that Donald Trump isn’t the focal point. There was a time, however, when comedy reigned supreme. That was the case in the 1990s, when SNL was the water cooler show, and big names like Adam Sandler and JimCarrey ruled the cinemas. Then there was Chris Farley.
Debuting on Saturday Night Live in 1990, Farley quickly became the cast member who got the biggest laughs thanks to sketches like “Matt Foley: Van Down By The River” and “Chippendales Audition” with Patrick Swayze. Adam Sandler was great at doing funny voices. Phil Hartman was phenomenal as the straight man. But Chris Farley was on another level, thanks to his self-deprecating nature. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for a laugh. He would take off his shirt and dance. He would throw himself on the floor, throw himself through tables. He would make fun of his supposed low intellect in “The Chris Farley Show” sketches, contorting his face and pulling his hair. No one was as animated as Farley, no one used their entire body to tell a joke like he did.
That physical comedy made its way onto late night talk shows as well, where with the likes of David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, Farley would dance through the aisles, fall out of his chair, trip and fall on the floor, or incessantly make fun of his weight. “Fatty falls down” became his thing. He knew this. He was in on the joke. But he was so addicted to the laughs, he seemingly couldn’t stop himself.
That brand transitioned well to feature films, especially 1995’s Tommy Boy, made with his close friend, David Spade. It was joke after joke about how dumb Farley’s character of Tommy Callahan was, with him constantly being made fun, or physical bits that involved Farley running into things and tossing himself about. It worked. Tommy Boy was a big hit. The formula was tried again with Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and AlmostHeroes, but the magic could never quite be recaptured. Farley was so great at physical comedy, but he was also so great at comedy and acting in general (the quiet scenes in Tommy Boy where he mourns his father are riveting and heartbreaking), that many fans wanted him to do more.
A Great Comedic Talent Gone Too Soon
It seems as if that was the plan. Farley had been cast as the lead in Shrek, with his leaked voice work showing a Shrek that was way less goofy than what Mike Meyers would do. That never got to happen, unfortunately. On December 18, 1997, Farley died alone of a drug overdose in Chicago. He was only 33, the same age that his hero John Belushi died.
It would only be natural that Chris Farley should then start to fade away from the pop culture psyche. He would be a cautionary tale about Hollywood excess, a guy to be remembered in 1990 best of lists, or to be written about on his birthday or the anniversary of his death, but instead, Farley’s popularity has endured. There was a popular biography called The Chris Farley Show in 2008. There was a documentary about him titled I Am Chris Farley in 2015. He often goes viral on social media for some past SNL sketch or a clip from one of his films. He’s constantly brought up in interviews, with hosts asking Spade, Sandler, Tim Meadows, or Rob Lowe for their memories of Farley. Matthew Perry, on a tour for his recent memoir, has been asked about him. A few years ago, a WWE wrestler named Otis got over with fans due to acting like a Chris Farley clone.
One of the biggest examples of this enduring love from Farley comes from three years ago, where twice Adam Sandler went viral due to a tribute song he wrote for his late friend. Performed first on his Netflix special, Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh, the gut-wrenching yet sweetly funny song about Farley has garnered 12 million views. A later performance of it on SNL from when Sandler hosted has another 8.7 million views.
A Self-Deprecation That's Endearing
So why is Chris Farley still so popular today, 25 years after he left us? Part of it is certainly nostalgia. Part of it is the internet, which has allowed a new generation to discover him. But it’s not like Farley is the only celebrity from decades ago who died way before his time, yet few, even though those that were more popular during life than him, have still been such a relevant part of popular culture like Farley is. That all comes down to Chris Farley’s style. His self-deprecation is endearing.
Part of that is rooted in his ending. While it was no surprise when Farley died, due to his long documented struggles with drug use and his increasing weight, it was only after he passed when we learned more stories about him. He came across as a good man, but a lonely one, who only wanted to make people laugh. There was no controversy like we have with so many of today’s celebrities. The only troubles he ever had were against himself. So when we see his awkwardness and his shyness under the bouncing ball of energy, it pulls us closer, because we kind of understand him now. There is a pain underneath his comedy that makes you love him and want to pull him closer.
The Sadness Underneath the Laughs
That’s not to say that we only care about Chris Farley because he’s dead. He is just as important without his last moments. He was a big goofy child who made fun of himself. Today, where so many celebrities are overly concerned about their image, Farley wasn’t. He didn’t overthink it. He didn’t script it. He didn’t spend long nights crafting his comedy with a pen and paper. He just did it. He contorted his face, his body, his voice not just on camera, but for his friends. He made fun of himself in front of the people he was closest to, not just on TV and in movies.
There is a sadness in that as well, sure, due to Farley’s need to always be “on.” Farley had a lot of anxieties and insecurities, mostly due to his physical appearance, but he leaned into it. Insecurities fueled his comedy. He was in on the joke, he knew what he was doing, but he still loved it. His self-deprecating humor was something that everyone could appreciate. No one was pushed away from him due to foul language or political leanings, or jokes that belittled people. He wasn’t mean, like so much of today’s comedy is. He never made fun of anyone really (outside of poor David Spade). He treated himself as the joke.
Chris Farley was a pratfall king, but he was a smart one. There was more to his comedy than falling down. There was effort in his actions. He knew how to fall a certain way, how to contort his voice or face a certain way, to get the maximum results. He knew how to not take himself so seriously. Sure, he should have taken himself a little more seriously at times, but through the insecurities, the weight issues, the drug issues, was a shy and loving man who only wanted to make people laugh, so they’d love him back. We did love him back. Twenty-five years later, we still do.
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