The film with Chris Farley still makes people laugh

It’s not just cops who get into comical action in Beverly Hills. Chris Farley may not quite reach the level of Tommy Boy or Black Sheep, but he still provides plenty of laughs in the newly released Beverly Hills Ninja Blu-ray. The film, directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Nicollette Sheridan, Robin Shou and Chris Rock, was released in 1997 and was Farley’s last leading role before his untimely death.

“Chris Farley plays an orphan boy raised from infancy by the head of a ninja institute. Farley grows up to be an overweight young klutz who manages to become a ninja, albeit an inept one. His first task is not to screw up a murder investigation in Beverly Hills,” the official description reads.

Beverly Hills Ninja doesn’t let itself be disguised as high art. The film is definitely childish and relies on physical humor. Thankfully, there’s no better physical comedian than Farley to elevate the material and turn a film that would likely be a disaster with any other into a fond memory (fun fact: Christian Bale calls it his favorite film). Farley is excellent as a ninja named Haru, who is not the prophesied Great White Ninja, but a clown with the best of intentions. The actor actually had to undergo martial arts training to be able to display a certain level of skill while simultaneously botching every technique in the funniest way possible.

While Farley’s laugh-inducing dancing and falling is the highlight, he also works well with the rest of the cast. He has a goofy connection with his Nicollete Sheridan, who plays his “dove,” incredible chemistry with young Chris Rock, and a purely brotherly connection with Robin Shou’s Gobei. Shou’s character is great as he does a lot of really badass ninja action in the background to unknowingly keep Haru on track, so you get to see some competent ninja action.

The Beverly Hills Ninja Blu-ray includes a new commentary from director Dennis Dugan. Although Dugan is hit and miss as a filmmaker (he made my favorite Adam Sandler comedy, Happy Gilmore, and my least favorite, Jack & Jill), he seems like an incredibly nice guy and has a lot of insight to share. Recorded just before the New Year, Dugan reminisces about the film and tells some fantastic stories about Farley and the production.

One of the most interesting moments is that during filming, Dugan casually mentioned the three questions of acting (Who am I? What just happened? What do I want?) to Farley, who had no idea about it. It turns out that Farley had simply been following his intuition in all of his previous performances. Afterwards, Farley began to apply the questions to his performance in the rest of the film. Dugan was really impressed with the actor and believes that Farley could have played some great dramatic roles (similar to Sandler) if he hadn’t died so tragically young.

Other highlights of the commentary include stories about Farley and Rock improvising together and how Rock rose to popularity just before the film’s release, justifying Dugan’s efforts to get the young actor the role. Dugan also reveals how Jackie Chan influenced the film’s fight scenes and how that film helped him direct You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.

Beverly Hills Ninja Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict

Listen, Beverly Hills Ninja isn’t a five-star comedy classic, but it never fails to give you a laugh and puts a smile on my face every time I see it. Sometimes that’s just as valuable as a witty script. Despite some flaws, it’s a charming comedy that shows just how funny Farley was. The Beverly Hills Ninja Blu-ray is a clear recommendation for anyone wanting to see the classic again, and the new commentary is worth listening to.

Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the publisher for our Beverly Hills Ninja Blu-ray review.