They use dead celebs in ads all the time and it doesn't bother me, so why does the new DirecTV commercial with David Spade and Chris Farley irritate and disgust me so much?
For one, it's badly made. Unfunny and not very clever. Plus, it might be too soon, and the way that Farley died... it's just a very strange ad. I wonder why Spade even agreed to do it. (DirecTV has done this before.)
Worst commercial of the year nominee: Chris Farley and DirecTV
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-25-2009 @ 4:20PM
Swanson said...
Too soon!?!?! Farley died over a decade ago, if it's too soon how long should we wait before mentioning him on TV again?
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10-25-2009 @ 4:29PM
Mike said...
Really? Too soon. Twelve years is too soon. Come on get off your high horse. It's not like it's Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze from Ghost. The only thing that is too soon was the loss of Chris Farley. For me the use of Farley in this ad is a tribute to a great talent.
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10-25-2009 @ 4:34PM
Fullman said...
Bob, he died almost 12 years ago... give us a break.
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10-25-2009 @ 4:37PM
ac said...
When Direct TV did the Poltergeist ad I didn't find it that wrong. Maybe because Craig T Nelson didn't insult the girl in the ad. In this one David Spade is insulting Farley directly. That's just not something you do to your deceased friend for the sake of money.
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10-25-2009 @ 5:09PM
Julius G. said...
Does the commercial feature David Spade insulting Chris Farley, or does it feature "Richard Hayden" insulting "Tommy Callahan III"? I've always understood that those commercials are about the character, not the actor, stepping outside the scene to pitch DirectTV. Sure it's a silly commercial, but it's not any sillier than any movie featuring David Spade and Chris Farley. After all, special effects aren't making Chris Farley look like a jackass, that is Chris Farley portraying a jackass.
You wonder why Spade agreed to do it? I'll take a shot in the dark and say PAYCHECK. I Also agree that 12 years definitely much falls outside the realm of too soon.
10-25-2009 @ 4:42PM
Zach said...
I hate commercials just as much as the next guy. But why do you guys keep writing posts on them? I really don't need any more.
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10-25-2009 @ 4:42PM
MCW said...
It is an unfunny ad, but it's not to soon to note that Farley was a drug abuser unwilling to accept help to curb the issue.
I used to be the biggest fan of him, until I saw that picture, which killed that. Despite being funny, he is a Hollywood cliche ('oh, look... extra money for me to kill myself with!') he deserves to be made fun of; much like Kurt Cobain, rather than revered in any way.
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10-25-2009 @ 8:10PM
Swanson said...
Farley, or anyone who dies of an overdose, does not deserve to be made fun of. Just because they made a mistake, that eventually cost them their life, doesn't mean we should insult them, no one deserves that.
10-25-2009 @ 5:01PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Too soon?
1. It's been over 9 years
2. Farley - like Ledger - died like an idiot. It wasn't a tragedy or an illness. He died like a fool.
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10-25-2009 @ 7:54PM
Bob Sassone said...
I didn't say "too soon" as in "he just died." I meant that it's odd to have a contemporary deceased actor in an ad like this, especially when he's talking to another actor in the ad who is talking to us currently.
Beyond all that, I don't see how it will entice people to give up cable and go with DirecTV.
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10-25-2009 @ 9:22PM
mknoebel said...
I do everything I can to avoid commercials. Lately I've noticed tvsquad reviewing more and more commercials. If this continues I'm done with tvsquad. Stick to the actual shows please!
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10-25-2009 @ 10:44PM
robert said...
1) The ad creeped me out. Maybe It's that it's Spade making money off of the image of his best friend. It's not necessarily wrong, just creepy.
2) what's more annoying than posts about commercials(which are a part of TV)? People taking the time to post whiny complaints about said posts. If you don't like it, don't read it.
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10-25-2009 @ 11:50PM
Cliff said...
Do your legal work, that's more than an image use, maybe Farley's family was compensated?
10-25-2009 @ 10:56PM
Cliff said...
The post above says that Direct TV has made fun of other deceased celebs, sorry, is Chevy Chase dead? How many other dead celebs has Direct TV made fun of? I probably should do my research, but the commercial just didn't sit right. Is Christie Brinkley dead? Are they paying a licensing fee to somebody? SNL? Where did they get the 'likeness use'?
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10-26-2009 @ 4:29AM
010111 said...
the girl in Poltergeist is dead. and she was in a DirecTV spot. though not 'made fun of' ... dead nonetheless though.
10-26-2009 @ 12:05AM
Jimmy said...
I'm glad you said something.
What's disturbing about this ad isn't the use of Chris' image (it's not too soon); it's the fact that Spade is STILL riding Chris' coattails for fame. He could -- and should -- have said no.
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10-26-2009 @ 1:46AM
MosquitoControl said...
I agree with the above guy. Somehow Spade doing the commercial is the creepy part. I think what makes it is that the movie wasn't a Spade vehicle, it was a Farley vehicle. They're taking the star and capitalizing on it. I think had Farley survived and done a commercial with a dead Spade it would rankle people less.
There's definitely something off-putting about it that makes the commercial a very bad idea. Everyone I've been around when it comes on gets slightly offended. Honestly, we're a group that's very difficult to offend. We're the kind of people that made Crocodile Hunter jokes immediately upon hearing the news. We pretty much joke about anything so long as we can find humorous absurdity in it.
Yet, somehow this sort of offends us.
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10-26-2009 @ 4:52AM
Mike said...
Well, first off, it's David Spade making money off a dead friend. It's David Spade. SNL has no problem making money off Farley in its multiple retrospectives (which only show they have no new stuff worth seeing). And did I mention it's David Spade making money off a dead friend? As the kids say, OMG, I felt the exact same reaction as far as the ad content as you did when I first saw it and had to explain to my 10-year-old daughter that yes, she is right -- It is not funny -- but also the fat guy has been dead awhile so that just made it creepy. It sure didn't make me want to buy whatever they were selling. The fact that it's David Spade making money off a dead friend is no surprise and probably was Spade's idea. Once your Joe Dirt biopic is in the $1 sale bin at Wal-Mart, about all you can do is make money off your dead pals.
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10-26-2009 @ 2:27PM
litehousebeacon said...
The only thing I care about is the technology they use in these commercials to keep the actors looking like they did when the movies came out. I think Wolverine could have used some of that technology.
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10-27-2009 @ 3:30PM
Debbie Zarzecki said...
I think the ad is cute. Chris Farley was a very talented and funny young man who loved to make people laugh. That is the legacy he left behind and I think it would please him to know that though he's been gone 12 years he can still bring a smile to people's faces.
It's also my understanding that his family worked with Direct Tv on the ad and were happy with it. So I don't know why some people are getting so worked up over it.
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