« Lingerie that goes with practically any outfit | Main | Isn't it time to retire the infomercial parody? »
DirecTV's Chris Farley spot just feels wrong
I've generally been a fan of the DirecTV ads by Deutsch with the actors breaking character from classic TV and movie scenes to deliver the pitch. But the series has gotten dicey with the introduction of dead celebs into the mix. Last October, we had the spot with with Craig T. Nelson and Heather O'Rourke from Poltergeist, which was unfortunate, given that O'Rourke (who played Carol Anne) died tragically in 1988 at age 12. Now, a year later (hey, Halloween's coming up again), we get this Tommy Boy homage, with Chris Farley and David Spade. Farley, of course, died of a drug overdose in 1997. The whole dead-celebs thing is a gray area in advertising. Sometimes it seems less off-putting than other times. But you know there's an issue when an ad finishes and you hear audible groans from around the room. UPDATE: Asylum.com procured this statement from David Spade: "When DIRECT TV came to me and the Farley family with this idea about 'Tommy Boy,' we talked and thought it would be a cool way to remind people just how funny Chris was. It is a clever homage to my friend and a movie that we loved doing." Meanwhile, a rep for DirecTV tells Asylum: "We should look to Chris' family and friends for the ultimate opinion on this subject. They were involved from the beginning of this project and felt that the spot was a great to tribute to Chris." —Posted by Tim Nudd Previously on AdFreak: |
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
I was a little put off, and Spade's got plenty of money and doesn't have to do this.
Maybe the Farley estate doesn't have a lot of cash coming in and Spade did it as a favor.
Posted by: Greg. | Oct 23, 2009 12:01:54 PM
Just saw the spot last night on TV and also felt very squeamish and uncomfortable. Lots of dead people still working,so don't know why exactly--just feels wrong, creepy, unjust. Real bad karma here.
Posted by: born_skeptical | Oct 23, 2009 12:34:16 PM
I feel like I hear this a lot. But it's not like they Orville Redebacher'ed him or something. Christ, the dude was funny. Why wouldn't you use him in a spot?
Posted by: Dwight | Oct 23, 2009 5:48:59 PM
This one really bothers me, and I realized why this afternoon when I saw it yet again. Spade's talking about how if you had DirecTV, he wouldn't have to be putting up with Farley/Tommy/whatever you'd like to call the 'character' in the commercial. I can't imagine that Spade would be comfortable implying that he wouldn't give anything for the chance to hang out with his friend again.
Posted by: Jocelyn | Oct 24, 2009 5:35:56 PM
When I first saw this, it confused me, then it made me sad. Not a good creative choice. Who approves this shit?
Posted by: adchick | Oct 24, 2009 7:08:19 PM
I still think that it is a little too early to use Chris Farley in ads. That said, I'm not sure at exactly what point it becomes "appropriate" to use dead people in advertisement spoofs. I definitely think it is a major sign of disrespect. It feels wrong to view these ads so I don't understand how it doesn't feel wrong to create them.
Posted by: Ashley Voran | Oct 25, 2009 8:17:31 PM
I can understand why DirecTV would want to use a popular movie like Tommy Boy that people can relate to, but it would be different if Chris Farley was still alive. This is definitely not respectful towards Farley or his family. It seems strange to have dead people selling products that he or she may have never even known or ever come in contact with. Just doesn't feel quite right.
Posted by: Gina L. | Oct 25, 2009 10:11:01 PM
The reason this is disgraceful in my humble opinion is because Spade didn't even attend the man's funeral. Best friend my ass. No one knows what went down obviously, but let's be real here. Your best friend dies. Then you go and make a stupid TV commercial to cash in on your best friend's legacy. It's not like it's honoring Chris. It's just stupid.
Posted by: Nicholas | Oct 26, 2009 12:24:43 AM
He saves it in the end, Spade is being his sarcastic self and then says.. "Never gets old". This makes the ad a homage to Chris, IMHO.
Posted by: Dabitch | Oct 26, 2009 6:47:57 PM
Dead celebrities are what they are … celebrities that are dead. Said dead people either have some revenue stream associated with their images/persona, or they do not … this one thinks that many of “you” need to get over your own selves and accept that modern media is as flexible as this ad indicates that it is … and, that said, there was no discernable outcry when long dead celebs were used for other ads in the last few yrs [when this type of technology became available]. IMHO, one should get used to it …
Posted by: enigma3535 | Oct 28, 2009 9:10:17 PM
I at first agreed with you that using Heather O'Rourke in a DirecTV ad last year was "unfortunate." Until that is, I read an interview with O'Rourke's mother, who said the family approved of it. It was a way to honor their daughter's short, yet famous life. And what better way to do it than to remind people of her iconic talents? It could be the same with Chris Farley. Who are we to judge? He and Spade were also best friends. Do not judge lest ye be judged, however it goes...
Posted by: JG | Oct 29, 2009 1:50:11 AM
Seeing Farley in the spot didn't bother me, in itself, but the whole point of the ad is that Spade wouldn't have to suffer with his old pal's nonsense anymore if only he had the vast programming choices on DirecTV. For the kicker, he looks away from Farley and sardonically says to the camera, "Never gets old."
How is that paying tribute to his friend, or reminding people how funny Chris was?
Posted by: frightwig | Oct 29, 2009 3:26:11 AM
I don't mind seeing Farley used in a spot.
David Spade, on the other hand, I can't stand that guy.
Posted by: audient | Oct 29, 2009 8:02:04 AM
Yeah, Spade's been dead for about 10 years too, right?
Posted by: alex | Oct 29, 2009 10:59:26 AM
...and while we're at it, even though Walter Cronkite's family gave permission to use Walter's voice on Katie Couric's show, I am not so sure that hearing his voice "adds" to the broadcast...
Posted by: Grey | Oct 29, 2009 11:59:37 AM
We're all looking for a reason to be offended nowadays, aren't we?
Posted by: Dwight | Nov 2, 2009 4:48:57 PM
Without judging Spade or the family of Farley, I too just felt uncomfortable with it. I think because he's being such a dolt in the spot. Yes, that was Farley's brand, but in the context of having died tragically, it made me feel like he was being exploited. Clearly his family feels differently.
Posted by: Dave | Nov 3, 2009 11:07:41 AM
I didn't like it when the broaght back Orville to sell popcorn or Fred Astaire dancing with a dirt devil so I'm certainly not in fafvor of bring back Farley.
Spade and DirecTV should be ashamed
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/6306251/16363298
When Yul Brenner taped the anti-smoking ad before he died, that was impactful.
This is just exploitation.
Posted by: Brian | Nov 3, 2009 12:27:08 PM
Agreed. You'd think lessons would be learned from past mistakes - you put something upsetting out there and people respond like crazy.
There are already parodies and responses up, too. Including this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEMg90MgNbg
Posted by: Michelle | Nov 3, 2009 4:31:05 PM
Meant this one! So many out already! This one with the kid you just want to smack (like Spade, himself) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YiyFk2GuPM
Posted by: Michelle | Nov 3, 2009 7:22:48 PM
Spots like this are the reason I'm no longer a DirecTV subscriber. If they spent a little more money improving the quality of the product and a little less on the celebrity roster for their ads, maybe I'd think otherwise.
This one is just plain offensive. Even worse, it shows a complete lack of creativity. FU DirecTV is right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEMg90MgNbg
Posted by: Erin | Nov 4, 2009 8:58:00 AM
WTF?? Is it really a big deal? That movie it's a classic! It's like they said "felt that the spot was a great to tribute to Chris."
Cause hes dead he can't be there in commercials?? WTF
Posted by: Arnaldo | Nov 10, 2009 7:41:15 PM
The problem with this ad is assuming that Chris Farley and his movie were "classics". Classic? Classic film? When is a b-level comedy a classic film. Now Chris Farley and David Spade are up there with Bogey, Bacall and Martin Scorcese. Like the Beatles and Rolling Stones.
Please don't call any of these people "classic". That's an insult. In 30 years no one will be watching any of this stuff.
Posted by: Steve | Nov 24, 2009 11:55:37 AM
