58
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Entertainment WeeklyKyle AndersonEntertainment WeeklyKyle AndersonThe film—skillfully helmed by Brent Hodge and Derik Murray and featuring talking-head testimonials from family members, friends, and costars such as Mike Myers and Bob Odenkirk—heralds "Tommy Boy" as definitive and notes how winning a romantic lead Farley is in "Coneheads".
- 75The A.V. ClubKyle RyanThe A.V. ClubKyle RyanAs a thoughtful examination of its subject’s life, I Am Chris Farley has its moments, but it plays more like a loving tribute than documentary, as if a bunch of his friends got together to tell stories. In that way, it succeeds, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the picture isn’t complete.
- 75RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoRogerEbert.comBrian TallericoCaptures why Chris Farley mattered, even if it does sometimes gloss over a few of the reasons our friend is no longer with us.
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerA bittersweet salute, appraisal and explanation of the early-nineties Saturday Night Live troupe mainstay.
- The movie is never able to get to the bottom of why the man so loved by his friends was unable to be comfortable out of the spotlight. But I Am Chris Farley is a warm, nostalgic reminder of a talent who died before his time.
- 60VarietyAndrew BarkerVarietyAndrew BarkerWorth watching for its trove of emotional testimonies from family and friends — including an atypically forthcoming Lorne Michaels and Adam Sandler — the pic is somewhat defanged by its surface-level approach and standard-issue filmmaking style.
- 50The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe story of dependence and excess is sadly familiar — and as with most of its material, I Am Chris Farley doesn’t find a fresh way to tell it.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeCo-directors Brent Hodge and Derik Murray go exclusively to interviewees who lived or worked with the oversized, overenergized man, all of whom clearly loved him, and if the tone of their remarks (affectionate, amazed at his charisma) is totally predictable, the specifics have enough color to hold the interest of a casual fan.
- 40Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbelePerhaps fearful of venturing into downer territory, I Am Chris Farley sticks to slickly edited, bite-sized anecdotes about an attention-starved Midwestern goofball unprepared for stardom, accompanied by storybook music that accentuates Farley's childlike nature over his darker impulses.
- 40Village VoiceSam WeisbergVillage VoiceSam WeisbergShrewder documentarians than directors Brent Hodge and Derik Murray would have balanced out the sentiment with grit. The movie is saccharine.