The name Chris Farley remains a familiar one to this date. Even 27 years after his demise, he’s still a favorite ice-breaker for the oldies, and a classic, hidden gem for the younger generation. Farley would’ve been 60 this year as he sadly passed away on December 18, 1997, because of a drug overdose and was later discovered by his brother in his apartment. However, after all these years, his comedic legacy remains.
The way he was fearless while on stage and how well he was able to connect with his audiences, with his very unique flair for physical comedy, has left a lasting impact on modern comedians of today. So why not take this chance to recall some of his best moments as an actor and comedian of the ‘90s? In this article, we’re going to revisit how Chris Farley’s approach has shaped modern-day stand-up, even if he wasn’t exactly a stand-up comedian himself. Here’s an ode to Christopher Crosby Farley’s greatest moments.
The “Bad Boys of SNL” Phase With Adam Sandler and David Spade
Whether you love it or hate it, you will agree that “The Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live” was a defining phase for the Saturday Night Live franchise. The term “Bad Boys of SNL” basically referred to a group of cast members from SNL, known for their edgy, irreverent humor and off-screen antics, contributing significantly to the show’s resurgence and popularity during the early to mid-1990s. This group included Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, and Rob Schneider, among others.
This SNL segment gave birth to some of Farley’s most memorable skits starting from Season 16 all the way to Season 20. For instance, the “Lunch Lady Land” from SNL Season 19 with Adam Sandler is to date one of the most popular SNL videos. Others might argue that the “Zagats” and “Columbia Ice Crystals” skits were superior ones. However, the point here is, the years 1990 to 1995 when Farley was a part of SNL, were a prime time in his career when everybody loved him! And it’s also a quite harsh reminder of how sometimes, our very own brain can turn against us.
Watch Lunch Lady Land on YouTube
The Farley and Spade Combo Goes Beyond Than Just SNL
Tommy Boy was an exceptional piece. It made an explosive entrance into the theaters after Farley’s SNL phase alongside David Spade. The box office hit quickly gained enough interest for them to continue working and then Black Sheep was released just after a year. As opposed to the common misconception — the two films weren’t related to each other. Think of Tommy Boy as an excellent skit that did really well in cinemas and so the director Peter Segal came through with another one, just a year later. And both of them did really well — with both Tommy Boy and Black Sheep doing a lifetime haul of approximately $32 million each.
Although both films came from the same director, Tommy Boy was written by Bonnie and Terry Turner along with Fred Wolf. Chris Farley starred in the film as Thomas “Tommy” Callahan III, the dimwitted yet lovable son of an auto parts magnate. After his father’s sudden death, Tommy embarks on a cross-country sales trip to save the family business from bankruptcy, accompanied by his father’s sardonic assistant, Richard Hayden, played by David Spade. It had that signature slapstick humor with a touch of heart and served perfect nostalgia right after the duo’s work on SNL.
Black Sheep, on the other hand, was released in 1996 and Farley, this time starred as Mike Donnelly, a well-meaning but disastrous force of nature who inadvertently jeopardizes his brother Al’s political campaign. To prevent further public mishaps, campaign aide Steve Dodds, played by Spade, is assigned to keep Mike out of trouble, leading to a series of comedic escapades. Black Sheep was penned by Wolf alone and the two films ended up cementing the duo’s status, much like Dumb and Dumber did for Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.
Not to Mention Farley’s Foray into Physical Comedy Through ‘Beverly Hills Ninja’
Farley’s foray into physical comedy was brilliantly showcased in Beverly Hills Ninja, which became a significant milestone in his career. With the success of his previous movies, Farley had already established himself as a rising actor with a burgeoning reputation. The film was released in 1997 and instantly stood out as a comedic highlight.
Just like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, too came from a returning SNL duo — Chris Rock and Chris Farley. Starring opposite Robin Shou, Farley plays Haru, an inept ninja, and Chris Rock plays a hotel bellboy assisting Harley. This was Farley’s signature self-deprecation comedic role and it clicked so well with the audiences that it went on to ace at the box office during its opening weekend.
King With Half-A-Nose Joke in ‘Dirty Work’ in a Cameo
While we’ve been looking at his major works as his greatest moments so far, this particular joke easily categorizes as Farley’s one of the most memorable moments! In Dirty Work, Chris Farley delivered a memorable cameo appearance as Jimmy, a character uniquely marked by his encounter with a Saigon prostitute — hilariously resulting in the loss of his nose because she bit it.
At one point in the film then, Jimmy quips about being mistaken for “the king with half-a-nose.” The joke, in Farley’s signature style, plays on the unexpected comparison between Jimmy, a regular guy with a bizarre injury, and a hypothetical monarch. It’s the juxtaposition of Jimmy’s unlucky predicament with the imagined dignity of a king and it perfectly spotlights how great Farley really was!
Last But Not Least — His Posthumous Release ‘Almost Heroes’
Set in the 1800s, Farley plays the leading role of a tracker in this heartwarming comedy. The film became post-humous for Farley as it was released a few months after his untimely demise in December 1997. Now, the saddest part of the film isn’t that it was post-humous — it is that the film also stars FRIENDS’s star, Matthew Perry, who also unfortunately passed away last year in October 2023.
Farley plays Bartholomew Hunt, a bumbling and inept but well-meaning frontiersman, who teams up with Perry’s character, Leslie Edwards, a foppish and arrogant aristocrat. Together, they lead a ragtag group of explorers on a race against Lewis and Clark to be the first to reach the Pacific Ocean. The film stands as a bittersweet reminder of Farley’s comedic talent and potential, that too with another comedic legend, Perry, and hence, is the perfect goodbye to Farley’s all-too-short career. You might also want to check out these 10 things you didn’t know about Chris Farley.
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