“The Chris Farley Show” – by Tom Farley Jr. & Tanner Colby – 9/10

REVIEW

Motivational speaker Matt Foley, super fan Todd O’Conner, and Tommy Callahan III from “Tommy Boy” is how the viewing audience normally remembers the late Chris Farley. His friends and family, however, know the real Farley lived in a more restrained “Saturday Night Live” character.

Deriving its title from the same subtle skit that had Farley bashfully interview celebrities, “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts,” relates the surprisingly turbulent and tragic life of the “next John Belushi.”

Older brother Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby construct the story of Farley’s meteoric rise to fame and his constant struggle with addiction. The authors brought together Farley’s family and scores of his closest friends and used their quotes to create a chronological narrative from those who knew him best. Included are interviews from Conan O’Brien, David Spade and many more.

Stories reveal his early attempts to fit in with his brothers, his drunken discovery of an improvisation theater and his self-indulgence of all things unhealthy during his movie career that flesh out the man behind the comic.

Having Farley’s family and friends tell his story is what makes the biography work so well. Instead of simply retelling Farley’s life, people who actually lived it with him are recounting their experiences.

Though he is known mainly for his brash characters, all those interviewed tell of the “real” Chris Farley. His attempts to fit in caused his behavior to become more outrageous and he was pressured into lowering his comedy talents to please the masses. Coupled with his later addictions to drugs and alcohol, Farley’s need to be accepted cast a shadow of sorrow over an already tragic death. As Farley opined many times throughout his career, “Everybody likes to see fatty fall down.”

The book is great not only because it is entertaining, powerful and tragic, but it tells a universal story about acceptance and how far some people are willing to go to achieve it.

Casual readers will enjoy the creative way in which the story is told and the Greek tragedy that was Chris Farley.