I Am Chris Farley, the documentary about, you guessed it, Chris Farley, is in select theaters this weekend with eyes on VOD August 11st, and I can’t help but imagine this is a great bit of synchronicity.
Todd Spence, who has previously crafted blooper reel credits for 12 Years a Slave, inserted the legendary fat-guy-in-a-little-coat comedian into that stomach churning trailer for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (the other movie out this weekend). Yes, the genius of it comes at the end where Spence reminds us all that Farley made the airplane stunt cool before it was cool. I haven’t seen Rogue Nation yet, but I assume Tom Cruise almost chokes himself on an inflatable life vest, too.
The mash-up here is also a nice reminder of the action tropes present in a ton of comedy movies — especially flicks where a schlubby underdog has to do something big in order to get the girl/save the company/earn dad’s respect/win a charity golf tournament/you name it. High speed chases and large-scale stunts are featured in both genres; the big difference is whether the guy driving or being locked out of an airplane in flight is in peak physical condition or is likely to rip a sport coat just by wearing it.
After all, it’s difficult to discuss Farley’s comedic genius without discussing his pratfalls. Even the team behind I Am Chris Farley describes him as “a bear of a man who nevertheless had remarkable grace and physicality.” He made us laugh by collapsing onto living room tables, dancing in Chippendale’s auditions and with his sheer, relentless energy.
So, ultimately, this is both a great diversion and a fitting tribute to a comedian who could have pulled off an amazing spy spoof. “In the land of the skunk, the man with half a nose is king,” is an awesome espionage code phrase.
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