Is DirecTV Chris Farley Ad a Disgrace?

A new DirecTV commercial that places David Spade in a scene with Chris Farley from the movie "Tommy Boy" is causing some viewers to question whether the ad is in bad taste or not.

In the ad, Spade is sitting on the couch while Chris Farley, who died in 1997 of heart failure due to an overdose, performs his "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" routine, donning his co-stars small jacket which he busts at the seams.

In the ad, Spade says, "Great, I'm here with tons of fun, when I could be at home with my DirecTV ... But no, I'm stuck with either cable or that (pointing to Farley). It never gets old."

Entertainment Weekly writes that they "can’t decide if this is a sweet homage to a sexy moment or semi-disrespectful exploitation of the dead."

But other blogs are certain of their distaste for the ad. TV Squad posted that the commercial is "unfunny ... Plus, it might be too soon, and the way that Farley died." On Buzzfeed many users responded to the commercial with the "Trashy" tag. The blog calls the commercial a disgrace.

Spade and DirecTV have noted the backlash to the TV spot. Asylum received a statement from Spade's publicist that read, "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. It is a clever homage to my friend and a movie that we loved doing."

A spokesperson for DirecTV 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."

WalletPop notes though that Spade should have considered his friend's memory before doing this commercial. According to Spade's IMDB page at the time of Farley's death, Spade could not bring himself to attend his funeral because, "I just couldn't have gone into a room where Chris was in a box."

The two actors are both Saturday Night Live alumni and starred together in the movies "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep," before Farley's death. DirecTV has produced a series of these advertisements that take scenes from movies and splices in new dialogue from a star. Others have featured Naomi Watts in "King Kong ", Christopher Lloyd in "Back to the Future", and child star Heather O'Rourke in "Poltergeist" (O'Rourke died in 1988 and the company was criticized for that ad as well.)

Watch the clip and decide if you think it's creepy or a fitting tribute: