Does This Offend You? [Chris Farley Edition]
Author: DavidJones // Category: Ethics, Movies, Pop CultureDid that commercial offend you? Many people are answering “Yes.”
DirecTV has started using famous clips from movies to promote their products. Using movies such as Alien, King Kong, and Back to the Future, the ads appear to be an exact scene from the movie, but during the scene one of the characters steps “out of character” and gives a brief promo for the satellite company.
An NBC affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area had this (sarcastic comment) to say: Indeed, Spade could be at home with DirecTV. Instead, he’s with the ghost of his famous friend, who died as a result of a drug problem that almost certainly stemmed from massive insecurities, and making a (bad) fat joke about him. HILARIOUS!
Here’s what The Consumerist had to say: Is anyone else skeeved out over the DirecTV ad?…It’s bizarre that Spade, a close pal of Farley’s went along with this. He and DirecTV must have miscalculated the ad as a tribute to a great movie moment rather than a disturbing, insensitive money grab.
What do you think? Are you offended by the commercial? Is David Spade exploiting Chris Farley? Is this “too soon?” Or is this a fitting tribute to a late actor and comedy from 1995?
Tags: Chris Farley, David Spade, DirecTV, Tommy Boy
October 28th, 2009 at 6:53 am
“Unnerved” is the correct word for my reaction when I first saw the commercial. It felt like seeing the Billy Mays commercials still running after he died–just uncomfortable.
I didn’t think it was wrong or offensive, just weird because he obviously didn’t give specific permission for them to use his image to endorse their product that way.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Hey Jeff,
Thanks for the comment. As a quick followup, I read in an article that Farley’s family and friends gave DirecTV permission to do the commercial and gave full support.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Many may not see Farley as an artist, but how is this different than using the Mona Lisa or some other piece of art in a modified way to sell something. An actor’s art is the scenes they played in. I don’t really see this as distasteful, I’d rather see this than see a E! special on the tragedy that was his life and death.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Spade seemed as devastated as anyone when Chris Farley died, so I am kind of glad he did this. The only reason I felt weird about it was because I read of how Spade reacted to Farley’s death. But 12 years later, I guess it was time to move on.