Farley's life, not death, subject of new doc

Chris Farley had his demons, but you won't see them in a new film about his life.

With documentary I Am Chris Farley (opens in select cities Friday), "our focus is not to do an autopsy," co-director Derik Murray says. "We're looking to tell the world who he was," as a comedian and human being.

The Saturday Night Live veteran and lovably oafish star of comedies Tommy Boy and Black Sheep died of a drug overdose on Dec. 18, 1997, after a lifetime of substance abuse. He was 33. Until now, his family hadn't pursued a big-screen treatment, but considered the opportunity when they were approached by filmmakers Murray and Brent Hodge about a year and a half ago.

"I was open to the idea, but I wanted to focus on his work and the impact he made on the comedy scene," says his brother Kevin Farley, who executive produces. "I honestly feel everybody has their own struggles. Chris had his, but in spite of (them), it's about what we do with our lives that lasts."

Throughout I Am, which premieres on Spike Aug. 10 (9 p.m. ET/PT) before a home-video rollout a day later, stars such as Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, David Spade and Christina Applegate share stories about Chris, interspersed with childhood home movies and famous sketches.

Five of the film's most memorable moments:

'Chippendales Audition' sketch

Stripping down next to chiseled SNL host Patrick Swayze in this 1990 episode, Chris was initially hesitant about taking off his shirt on television. "No one really likes being overweight. He never thought of himself as being all that fat, but he was just embarrassed, obviously, standing next to Patrick Swayze," Kevin says. Ultimately, "he would do anything for a laugh and he knew the value of that sketch. He was either not going to do it or he was going to go all in," as Chris did with his outrageous gyrating and thrusting onstage. "I know my mom was worried his pants were going to come down."

'Dante'

With so many of Chris' best-known SNL sketches included in I Am, Hodge and Murray wanted to include a few deeper cuts such as Dante, in which he played a flamboyant designer opposite Sandler, Spade and Bob Saget. Taken from a 1995 episode, "it's a unique sketch that a lot of people didn't recall and our (documentary) cast tied so beautifully to it," Murray says. Midway through the skit, Chris forgets his line and Bob covers for him, pushing his glasses onto his face as Chris goes cross-eyed. "Here you have this talented genius in Chris Farley, and you know what? He missed a line, and Bob reacted to it and just kept on moving with that flow."

'Down By the River'

Widely considered one of SNL's most memorable sketches, Chris' thundering motivational speaker Matt Foley was originally developed during his improv days at Chicago's Second City and named for a longtime friend, a Catholic priest. "My mom commented, 'Is he referring to Father Matt?' " Kevin says. "I remember watching it that night (in 1993) with my parents and saying, 'This character is really going to stick around.' It was so well-done, he did it really, really well.' " Chris knew it, too: "He was very keen when a sketch was good or when it was mediocre. I don't know if Chris ever knew it'd be one of the top sketches on Saturday Night Live, but he knew it'd be a juggernaut."

'Late Show With David Letterman' interview

In 1995, Chris literally cartwheeled onto Late Show, a marathon arrival Letterman dubbed "the finest entrance ever made." Promoting his first top-billed role in Tommy Boy, his rapport with Letterman "was just so natural," Murray says. "Chris was in awe of celebrities and people that had accomplished great things in their lives, and you can see that here. He's completely off-the-charts excited to be on Letterman and screams it out. Watching that, we were like, 'This is just as indicative of who Chris was as seeing him in early sketches and hearing stories from his family and friends.' "

'Tommy Boy'

In this 1995 road-trip film, Chris plays an uncouth salesman tasked with saving the family auto-parts business after his father (Brian Dennehy) dies suddenly. Much like Dennehy's character, Chris' father, Thomas, "was one of those bigger-than-life guys. He always had a joke and shook your hand really firmly," Kevin says. Playing Tommy, Chris drew from his own experience working at his father's oil company in Wisconsin after college. "Chris looked up to my dad a lot — it was a very personal movie for him. He always dreamed of taking over the family business and saving the family and being a hero."