36 Times Chris Farley Broke People On Set

Mother of mercy, I don't speak Japanese! The phrase one-of-a-kind gets thrown around a lot, but Chris Farley truly embodied it. Shut your pie hole, missy! He was a comedic force of nature who threw himself headfirst into every joke and broke more SNL castmates than nearly anyone else on the show. Matt Foley, motivational speaker, was probably Farley's best character, and Van Down by the River is still one of the best SNL sketches of all time. You kids are probably asking yourselves, hey Matt, how can we get back on the right track? It's Farley's delivery that makes the sketch work, but it's David Spade and Christina Applegate progressively losing it that makes this one worth re-watching over and over, plus one of the show's most legendary character-breaking moments. There's you there, sedation. That was the first time anyone had ever seen Matt Foley, but it wasn't the last. Thanks, Dad, I'll take it from here. Over a few more sketches, Matt Foley became an audience favorite, the kind of character that got cheers from the first whiff of a setup. And even though those setups were all the same, he never failed to break one of the sketch's other stars. Who threw the eggs? And you're purty. He even cracked himself up trying to deliver his iconic intro in Spanish. You can't exactly pick one Matt Foley sketch to call the best, but one of the best was definitely the one with guest star Kristen Slater, who seemed to be having a ball just being there. Each weekend update anchor has brought their own approach to the gig, and Dennis Miller was no different. He didn't necessarily go out of his way to play it super straight, but he generally didn't give way to outbursts of laughter from behind the news desk. Not surprisingly, Chris Farley was keen on changing that with his impression of General Norman Schwarzkopf. I showed you what these guns could do in the Middle East. Now I'm gonna show what they can do in the ring. This summer, Atlantic City. Miller didn't even bother trying to hold back his smile for the remainder of Storm and Norman's fiery speech. I am the greatest. You will take your punishment. Speaking of weekend update, Kevin Nealon, who was the longest-serving anchor during Chris Farley's time on the show, decided to go the straight man route during his tenure behind the desk. He read every story with total seriousness, except for the time Farley's wire rig caught on the stage lights. The fact that Farley never breaks character causes Nealon to lose it even more. He finally got clear and soared over the audience, only for the cameras to cut back to Nealon still trying to get it together. Maybe the cables didn't clear the light, ladies and gentlemen. While Kenan Thompson is the longest-serving SNL cast member in history, he didn't start until long after Farley had passed away, so the two never got to share the SNL stage. But Farley did guest star on an episode of Nickelodeon's All That, giving the pair the chance to work together at least once. You're gonna end up in rehab! A chocoholic! As Farley grows increasingly unhinged as the ketchup-obsessed guest chef on a cooking show, Thompson can be seen smirking a number of times before he finally breaks in the last seconds of the skit. SNL will sometimes fall back on the somewhat easy trope of just making a giant mess of the cast for laughs. It doesn't always work, and even when it does at first, it gets old quickly. But man, Chris Farley really knows how to sell being doused with water. Janine Garofalo seems to be cracking a bit, especially towards the end. But there's no denying that the various extras who were brought in to fill out the stands of the waterpark are legitimately laughing at Farley's reactions. Somebody should kill that stinkin' fish! Hey! Watching old Farley sketches, you start to feel like he was constantly playing a game called Make Adam Sandler Break Character. His dance during Lunch Ladyland made Sandler lose it several times. Sloppy Joe, sloppy Joe. And having him play Sandler's wife in the Hank and Beverly Gelfand sketch makes it feel like the whole thing was literally conceived for that purpose. Oh, hear that, hey? Sandler tries to keep it together by avoiding eye contact with Farley, but he can't do it forever. It really didn't matter if Farley was a main character in a sketch or just showed up for a brief moment. The second he opens his mouth, Sandler usually has to turn away from the camera. But he did it. Why, yes! Of course, if any sketches were designed to give Farley a chance to make Sandler break, they were without a doubt the Hurley He Boy skits. For the love of God, I'm with you! The premise was just Sandler begging for work, with Farley — whose role in the sketches, brilliantly, never explained — as an older gentleman who berates the audience for not hiring him. And every time — every time — Farley jumped in, Sandler was visibly trying to keep his composure. You vicious bastards! I'm with you! You'd think he'd get used to it, but even though the sketch made multiple appearances, Farley's perfect delivery kept catching Sandler by surprise. To this day, the sketch delivers. I have no story, and I can't do it. You know? Season 20 of SNL is generally considered one of the worst in the show's history, and the episode hosted by Deon Sanders is generally considered the worst episode in the worst season. If there's any trouble, just signal. Captain, if there's any trouble, I'm gonna kick butt and then stack them ten high! But amid everything else going wrong in the episode, Farley got the biggest laughs and got the entire cast to break character, thanks to an unexpected wardrobe malfunction. All right, I'm rolling home! Farley had Matt Foley. Adam Sandler had Canteen Boy, a recurring, awkward character who shows up at various neighborhood functions, mostly to get made fun of. That's the setup for the garage sale sketch. Canteen Boy, that's two impressions you can do. You're good at doing an owl. And you're good at doing a dork. All Farley does in this one is play an old bully of Canteen Boy's, but he goes all in, of course. Sandler even knows what's coming, but can't brace himself in time. Farley's final SNL appearance brought back a familiar face in a familiar living situation. I am thrice divorced, and I live in a van down by the river. While most of Farley's old castmates had moved on, this gave him a chance to perform one more Matt Foley sketch with his old pal Tim Meadows. And when Meadows struggles to stay in character, Farley zeroes in. Look, Matt! Look, Matt! Take it easy! Farley's final SNL episode was an inconsistent effort, but this sketch was a highlight — a hilarious send-off for one of the most beloved characters and cast members in the history of the show. All of Chris Farley's co-stars and directors have claimed that, while he was making movies, he was not only sober, but seemed to be at his happiest. As long as he was buried in the work, the comedian was healthy and having a blast. That seems to be confirmed when you watch the blooper reel from Tommy Boy, which shows example after example of a giddy Farley having the time of his life and reveling in making everyone else enjoy themselves just as much as he was. Hey, what is this thing? Farley's chemistry with David Spade, in particular, is electric, and there's a ton of footage showing how much fun they had between takes. Well, it hasn't changed me one iota. You know, a lot of times — that's it! I'm sitting around as soon as I find out he wants to buy something. Sadly, Farley's film career was just getting started when he passed away in 1997. After Tommy Boy, he starred in a few more vehicles, Black Sheep and Beverly Hills Ninja, and the posthumously released Almost Heroes, but he had more projects lined up, including voicing an early, conceptual version of Shrek. People see me and they go, Help! A big, stupid, stinky, smelly, ugly ogre! His last big-screen appearance came in Norm MacDonald's film Dirty Work, and although it was just a minor role, he stole most of the scenes he was in. You bastard! And the outtake reel in the credits featured a final, bittersweet shot of Farley getting one last laugh in on his old SNL pal. Go camping. What? You know, just you and me. Okay, let's go. Itchin' lonely. It's a sweet send-off for Farley, essentially serving as his final farewell on the big screen, and after Norm MacDonald's devastating death in 2021, it's all the more special that this moment was immortalized. Thanks for all the laughs, Chris!