• Is the new DirectTV Chris Farley commercial in poor taste?

    Wilhem Oliva

    by: Wilhem Oliva
    October 24th, 2009

    05_Flatbed_2 - AUGUST

    We’ve all seen the latest DirectTV marketing campaign (if you haven’t, I hope life is fun under that rock). The commercials feature scenes from classic movies, with the actors breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience about the wonders of DirectTV.

    So far I’ve really enjoyed watching the ads, but the latest one has me a little creeped out, and I’m not the only one. In it, David Spade talks to viewers as Chris Farley does his great “fat guy in a little coat” routine from TOMMY BOY. Sure, Farley isn’t the first dead celebrity to appear in a commercial, but whereas those felt like an homage to an icon, something about this feels like David Spade profiting from his dead friend.

    As a 90s kid, I got the chance to grow up with the great SNL comedies of the early decade and Farley’s tragic death still feels too recent to take lightly. Am I wrong in thinking the commercial is in poor taste? Watch the video after the jump.

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    • Name
      I recently read Chris farleys biography, and he was really funny. I dont understand why everyone is hating on this commercial. Chris farley is still alive in everyones heart.
    • Venus
      Spade was really upset by Farley's death and wouldn't talk about him for a long time. He's not going to suddenly sell his friend out and his friend's family just to make a buck.
      This is really one of my favorite scenes and it makes me nostalgic, wanting to watch Tommy Boy. It makes me smile about Chris Farley, because I grew up on SNL and up until his death he was my favorite actor. If this hurt his family, be unsettled. If not, change the channel. I think his family were the ones who lost the most when he died.
    • "Spade was really upset by Farley's death and wouldn't talk about him for a long time. He's not going to suddenly sell his friend out and his friend's family just to make a buck. "

      Shooting this commercial does raise the question: why would he do this? I'm not jumping on either side, just bring up the obvious.

      Maybe he needed the money? Maybe he was paying tribute to Farley? Nobody really knows but David Spade, and of course, the people behind this commercial.
    • Venus
      You know, since then I've read that Spade and Farley's family were in on the whole project from his inception, and that makes the most sense to me.
      If it were to make a buck, wouldn't we have seen Spade a lot more commercials before this?
      I do believe they were paying tribute. His family and friends are the ones who would be most hurt by such a commercial if it were disrespectful or in bad taste, yet it seems it was their idea. That should change the tone of this for people, I think.
    • grumpiestoldman
      My goodness that is in terrible taste. Thank God for our Time Warner cable.
    • Jake Cox
      And this isn't the first time DirecTv's caused some controversy with these commercials....one of the first commercial's of this type featured Craig T Nelson talking about wishing he had DirecTv while his on-screen daughter, the little girl from Poltergiest, stared at the TV screen. For those who didn't know, the little girl died during filming of Poltergiest II. DirecTv pulled the ad after several people complained, and now they are basically doing the same thing with Chris Farley.
    • cb
      I totally agree. I was just thinking the same thing. It seems like that would be painful for me (or, at least, icky) if I lost my friend, to do a commercial with him...
    • Josh
      I had wondered if it was in bad taste too. But, I think it depends on the situation under which David Spade aggreed to the commercial. If Spade said to himself, man that "Just Shoot Me money just isn't coming in anymore," then I think it was in bad taste. If Farley's estate asked Spade to do it, then I am happy that Spade was able to help out Farley's family.
    • YES.

      Isn't it obvious? Horribly poor taste and unsettling.
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