Hollywood has a weird way of pairing people up. Sometimes it's for chemistry, sometimes it's just a studio executive throwing darts at a board of "who's hot right now." In 1996, someone decided to pair the loudest, most physical comedian on the planet with the king of sarcastic, neurotic wit.
Chris Farley and Matthew Perry. On paper? It sounds like a slam dunk. In reality, their time together on the set of Almost Heroes was a collision of two men at the absolute peak of their fame—and the absolute bottom of their private lives.
Honestly, it’s a miracle they finished the movie at all.
The Movie That Time (and Critics) Tried to Forget
If you haven't seen Almost Heroes, you aren't alone. It’s a bizarre 18th-century frontier comedy directed by Christopher Guest. Yeah, the Spinal Tap guy. It was supposed to be a smart, Blackadder-style ensemble piece. Instead, the studio panicked, tried to turn it into Tommy Boy in the Woods, and ended up with a mess that currently sits at a brutal 5% on Rotten Tomatoes.
But forget the reviews for a second.
The real story happened in the trailers. While they were playing bumbling explorers racing Lewis and Clark to the Pacific, both actors were fighting a war with themselves. Perry was deep into a Vicodin addiction that would eventually see him taking 55 pills a day. Farley was struggling with the same demons that had already claimed his idol, John Belushi.
A Friendship Forged in the Dark
They weren't just co-stars. They were friends. Real ones.
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Perry later wrote in his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, about how they "barely" finished the film. There’s this heavy, uncomfortable irony in watching the movie now. You see Farley—sweating, red-faced, giving 110% to every pratfall—and you see Perry, who actually changes physical size between scenes because of his fluctuating health.
During the shoot, Farley actually had a "sobriety bodyguard" on set. He looked, for a brief window, like he might make it. He was proud of this movie. He told people it was the best work he’d ever done.
Then everything fell apart.
The Day the Laughs Stopped
When Chris Farley died of an overdose in December 1997, the movie hadn't even been released. It was sitting on a shelf because of a corporate merger.
The news hit Matthew Perry like a freight train.
He didn't just get sad. He got angry. He famously recounted that when he heard the news, he punched a hole through Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room wall. It wasn't just grief; it was the terrifying realization that Farley’s "disease had progressed faster" than his own.
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It was a mirror. A scary, high-definition mirror.
"I had a healthy fear of the word 'heroin,' a fear we did not share," Perry wrote.
When Almost Heroes finally hit theaters in May 1998, it felt less like a summer comedy and more like a wake. Audiences didn't know how to laugh at a man who was already gone. The studio had re-edited the film to focus almost entirely on Farley, cutting out Perry’s scenes and the ensemble cast to capitalize on the "last Farley movie" hype.
It didn't work. The movie bombed, making only $6 million.
Why Their Connection Still Matters
Looking back, Chris Farley and Matthew Perry represent a specific, painful era of 90s stardom. They were the guys who made everyone else feel better while they were secretly drowning.
People often group them together because of how they died, but the real link was how they lived. They were both "seekers." They both wanted to be known for more than just the "fat guy who falls down" or the "sarcastic guy from Friends."
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The Survival and the Legacy
Matthew Perry survived for 25 more years after Farley died. He spent a huge chunk of that time trying to help other people get sober. He turned his Malibu home into a sober living facility. He became a vocal advocate for drug courts.
Farley never got that chance.
There's a scene in Almost Heroes where Perry’s character tries to teach Farley’s character how to read. It's one of the few quiet moments in the film. You can see the genuine affection between them. No screaming, no falling through tables. Just two guys, arguably the most famous men in the world at that moment, sharing a quiet beat.
What You Can Do Now
The stories of Chris Farley and Matthew Perry are more than just tabloid tragedies. They are reminders that the funniest person in the room is often carrying the heaviest load.
If you want to honor them, don't just watch the highlight reels of them falling over or delivering punchlines.
- Watch the "Quiet" Work: Check out Farley’s more restrained moments in Almost Heroes or Perry’s dramatic turns in The West Wing. It shows the range they were never fully allowed to explore.
- Read the Memoir: Matthew Perry’s book is a brutal, honest look at what was happening behind the scenes of those "perfect" 90s sets.
- Check on Your "Funny" Friends: If someone's entire identity is making others laugh, make sure they have a space where they don't have to "perform."
- Support the Foundations: Both the Farley family and the Matthew Perry Foundation work toward addiction awareness and recovery.
Their careers were defined by laughter, but their lives were defined by a struggle that eventually became their greatest teaching tool for the rest of us.
Next Steps:
If you're dealing with similar struggles or know someone who is, reaching out for help is the only way to change the script. You can start by visiting resources like SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) or looking into the Matthew Perry Foundation to see how his legacy of helping others continues today.