Is starring in a commercial with your dead best friend ever funny?

Upon seeing this new DirecTV ad for the first time, many of you out there apparently felt the same way me and my husband did: icky. Resurrecting Tommy Boy‘s Chris Farley for a commercial? Is there any scene that company won’t manipulate?

Now what if I told you that the spot was approved by both David Spade and Farley’s family? Would that change your opinion?

Spade, who also appeared on Saturday Night Live with Chris, told Asylum he felt the ad was a nice tribute to the late comedian’s work. “When DIRECT TV 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,” he said.

Why DirecTV ever came up with the concept is unclear. But since they were given permission, they apparently considered it a good idea. “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,” a spokesperson stated.

So what do you think now? Is the commercial less icky than it originally seemed? Or do you feel like Spade’s exploiting his friend for his own purposes?