Saturday Night Live: The Best Of Chris Farley

This Saturday Night Live compilation gathers the best sketches of '90s funny-man Chris Farley. The overweight Farley was most famous for slapstick routines about his generous girth, which makes up most of the material here — an exotic dancer competing against hunky Patrick Swayze for a coveted Chippendales dancer spot; mooning the audience as Tom Arnold (Roseanne's tubby ex-hubby); and a Polish-American super-fan from Chicago ("da Bears!") choking on a pork chop. An aggressive comedian, Farley was also known for screaming at the top of his lungs, usually as motivational speaker Matt Foley, here lecturing two white suburban kids about smoking pot. Though this DVD covers all the bases, Farley's hyper-antics soon grow tired and, frankly, John Belushi did it better. Farley was funnier when he was vulnerable, as seen in The Chris Farley Show, where he plays a star struck TV interviewer asking inane questions of Martin Scorsese and Paul McCartney. The best sketch pits Farley as a beleaguered American tourist trapped on a Japanese game show that tortures its contestants. The extras add about 20 minutes on top of the 61 minutes of sketches. The SNL outtakes are flat, but juicier are Farley's guest spots on Leno and Conan O'Brien, where Farley plays Matt Foley in both. He goes over-the-top on the Conan spot, but does a proper Q&A with Leno, where he hints at an abusive father. The family album of still photos ends on a poignant note, in which his former co-stars warn against drugs and announce the Chris Farley Foundation. Farley died of a cocaine overdose in 1997. Plus: photo gallery, more. (Lions Gate)