Top 10 Best Chris Farley SNL Sketches
For this list, we'll be ranking the most memorable, hilarious or otherwise noteworthy moments from Chris Farley's tenure on "Saturday Night Live." We won't be touching any of his film or other T.V. work, but rather focusing upon the sketch comedy work that made him a star. For his other TV and film work, check out our video for the Top 10 Chris Farley Moments.
#10: Rudy Giuliani's Son
Rudy Giuliani’s 1994 mayoral inauguration speech made nationwide news thanks to the upstaging antics of his young son. But that was nothing compared to the incident’s treatment on SNL. Chris Farley's on-screen chemistry with Kevin Nealon is in the forefront here, as Chris makes faces and mugs for the camera. Nealon can barely keep it together while trying to play straight man to the irrepressible Farley, and their combined "Live From New York!" call out for this cold open really sets the stage for a sentiment we'll be returning to often during this list: that Chris Farley was truly loved by his castmates.
#9: Gap Girls
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Adam Sandler, David Spade, and Chris Farley were a team on and off the screen, so naturally they worked well together on many a famous SNL skit. The trio were particularly funny in this recurring sketch that saw them playing teenage girls working at GAP. It's how dedicated Chris and the boys were to their characters that saves the sketch from the obvious pitfalls. The accents, physical mannerisms, and hair flips lifted the Gap Girls from a pretty basic premise into a sketch that almost always brought the house down.
#8: Lunch Lady Land
We all know that Adam Sandler is a master of musical comedy, but not even he could hold a candle to the force of nature that was Chris Farley. Here, Sandler's "Lunch Lady Land" receives the pantomime treatment from Chris as the titular school chef, as other cast members dance around as angry pieces of food. Farley's facial expressions and enthusiastic dancing are to die for, so much so that Sandler can barely hold back his laughter. "Lunch Lady Land" may have already been a funny song, but it took Chris Farley's hilarious performance to make it iconic.
#7: Schillervision Hidden Camera
Sometimes, it's what we don't expect that really gets us rolling. That was certainly the case when it came to the SNL sketch "Schillervision Hidden Camera," where Chris Farley made it a point to go off the rails with his performance. The sketch is a parody of the old coffee commercials where a company would switch an average person's cup of Joe with their brand . . . only Farley's character does NOT take this deception very well. He flies off the handle when served Colombian Decaffeinated Coffee Crystals, cursing and overreacting in a way that goes against the grain of the OG commercials, and Chris’ own easy going nature.
#6: The Chris Farley Show
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We can actually imagine kind of loving a real interview program featuring this fictionalized version of Farley. In this sketch, Chris plays a well-intentioned and passionate interviewer who's just a bit too starstruck by his guest, The Beatles' Paul McCartney. His enthusiasm is there (as well as his nerves) but he just can't seem to get his line of questioning right. That is, until a very sincere question about The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album get him a short, but very sweet answer from Paul. Seeing Chris' happy reaction to one of his heroes gets us every time.
#5: Bill Swerski's Superfans!
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This recurring SNL sketch may be something of an ensemble piece, but Chris Farley's character "Todd" had a number of moments that fans still remember fondly. Some may be a little morbid, but then again, the Super Fans WERE a bunch of diehard Chicago sports fans whose diet consisted of primarily beer, cheese and cured meats. Todd would choke on pork chops, have multiple heart attacks, play his own wife in drag and overall just make it difficult for anyone sharing the SuperFans table to outshine him. He always stole the scene.
#4: Schmitts Gay Beer
While we’ve already mentioned another “SNL” parody of popular commercials, their “Schmitts Gay” satire hits the funny bone on a whole other level. Farley and Adam Sandler shoot this video clip as typical single bros, house-sitting and planning a wild beer bash. This beer commercial is a little different, however, as instead of bikini clad babes, the boys are going gaga for "Schmitts Gay", the beer choice for buff beefcakes. Seeing the pair go through all of the typical motions you'd see in an 80s or 90s beer ad, while completely subverting expectations is hilarious, while its satirical take on the ad industry still resonates today.
#3: Japanese Game Show
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There have been plenty of comedy shows that have tackled the wild world of Japanese game shows, but this episode from 1994 was early to the party, and in a great way. Farley is a stranger in a strange land as the only person on a Japanese game show who doesn't speak Japanese. This could've been a one joke sketch, but it gets darker when the other contestants have to pay a horrible price for their wrong answers. Chris' character somehow gets to the final round through dumb luck, only to find himself tied up and electrocuted, while still insisting that it’s all a big mistake!
#2: Chippendale's Audition
Even people who aren’t avid SNL fans are still familiar with this iconic skit. It's not so much the set up of a Chippendale's Audition that makes this scene with Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze so funny, but rather, the execution. The judges and cast take the competition between Swayze and Farley so seriously, and the performances are so deadpan, that Swayze seems sincerely relieved when he gets the job over Chris - who certainly has enthusiasm on his side. If, for some reason, you've never watched this classic SNL moment, do yourself a favor and check it out now! Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Zagats El Nino Bennett Brauer Herlihy Boy
#1: Matt Foley
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He lives in a van down by the river. This may have been motivational speaker Matt Foley's signature line, but it wasn't the only thing that made this Chris Farley sketch such a success. Chris’ boisterous movements, his intense knack for physical comedy, and the reactions of his co-stars all made his Matt Foley segments some of the funniest in SNL’s run. Thanks to Farley’s truly one of a kind talent, even his castmates struggle to keep a straight face - but that just makes the skit even funnier. His work here is still making us laugh so many years later.
