David Spade and the Ghost of Chris Farley Sell DirecTV

You've probably seen this latest DirecTV ad by now: David Spade revisits the hilarious "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" scene from Tommy Boy, supposedly sitting in the same room as his co-star Chris Farley. But while Spade is able to speak directly to the camera and comment on Farley's actions in the scene, Farley plays it straight -- because he died over a decade ago.

DirecTV has made creative use of iconic movie scenes (and old actors reliving the roles of their youth) in their commercials for the past few years (think of Charlie Sheen in Major League, Craig T. Nelson in Poltergeist, etc.). Original material is spliced with new footage of the star telling the viewer about the benefits of DirecTV, usually to cleverly comedic effect. But this one rubs us the wrong way because, well, Farley is dead, and therefore not in on the joke.

"When DirecTV came to me and the Farley family with this idea about Tommy Boy, we talked and thought it would be a cool way to remind people just how funny Chris was," Spade tells Asylum. "It is a clever homage to my friend and a movie that we loved doing."

A spokesperson for DirecTV then told Asylum, "We should look to Chris' family and friends for the ultimate opinion on this subject. They were involved from the beginning of this project and felt that the spot was a great to tribute to Chris."

But what do you think? Is the ad a nostalgic homage to the comedy of Chris Farley, or just a crass and creepy exploitation of the late comedian?

-- Daniel Lehman