Saturday Night Live is a stage for many comedians whose light sailed across the landscape into superstardom. None of those stars were perhaps taken quicker than that of the late great, Chris Farley. ‘I Am Chris Farley’ is a documentary from first time director Steve Burgess about the history of one of SNL’s greatest figures. The 95 minute feature tells Chris Farley’s story, from his early days in Madison, Wisconsin, and at Marquette University, through his work at the legendary club Second City to his rapid rise to the top of the comedy world on “Saturday Night Live” and in hit films like ‘Tommy Boy’ and ‘Black Sheep’. Sharing insights into the beloved funnyman are the co-stars who lived to tell of such a legend. What works about this picture is that it serves as a perfect recommendation for anyone too young to remember when SNL ruled the world. Farley was at the helm of such a time, and it’s evidence how pivotol a point he played during that time. However, for anyone who already knew of Farley’s legendary skits and antics, the documentary is a little bit of a letdown in the informative department. The tales told in various interviews are nice to hear coming from some of Chris’s closest friends, but it feels like we tiptoe around the very problems that the trailer decided to focus on. It’s a little bit of a sloppy effort by Burgess, but what saves his feature is the biographical narration by Chris’s twin brother Kevin. What this does is give the film a look into a man who still lives with Chris’s face. It’s an interesting sight to see that Kevin’s very career is still mentioned in the same shadows of Chris, whether for positive or negative reasons. I also felt that the movie had great editing, complete with lots of intercutting shots of Chris’s memorable skits to play alongside with real life moments similar to the characters he portrayed. I mentioned before that i wish the movie could’ve dove a little more into the volcano of emotional depression that was exploding just beneath the surface of this juggernaut, and something so easy to point out can be seen in television interviews when Farley was at his weakest. I appreciate the effort that was put in from many sit-down interviews with such co-stars as Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Lorne Michaels, and so many others that don’t accomodate with the easiest of schedules. It’s clear that they made time to tell such tales about their dearly departed friend, and that’s evidence in more than one tear jerking moments. ‘I Am Chris Farley’ isn’t quite the story that the title character deserves, but it is one that can showcase a time when the world was better off with such laughter. The biggest tragedy by the end of this 95 minute offering is that there will be many who make us laugh throughout our lives, but there will never ever be another Chris Farley.

7/10