Almost Heroes (1998)

Almost Heroes is the kind of scruffy, good-natured comedy that wins you over by committing fully to its own ridiculousness, and it’s anchored by a late-era Chris Farley performance that feels like a warm, chaotic bear hug. Set against a muddy, windblown frontier, it plays like a spoof of grand American adventure stories where every attempt at heroism collapses into slapstick, bruised egos, and the stubborn camaraderie of a crew that has no business exploring anything. Matthew Perry’s prissy ambition makes a perfect foil for Farley’s lovable, disaster-prone tracker, and the misfit supporting cast keeps the pace lively with steady bursts of absurdity. It’s definitely not for everyone—there’s crude humor, some nudity, and rougher edges that come with the era it’s lampooning—but if you’re on the fence and you miss Farley’s singular energy, this one delivers a surprising number of real belly laughs.

Almost Heroes wants to be a scruffy, frontier spoof where two idiots stumble their way through history, and on paper that’s a perfectly fine excuse for Farley-style chaos and buddy-comedy bickering. The problem is it often feels like a bunch of crude bits stitched together without a strong comic engine, so the pacing drifts and many jokes land with a thud rather than a punch. Chris Farley has a few moments of physical-comedy charm and there’s occasional fun in the ragtag expedition vibe, but it’s a rough showcase that leans heavily on lowbrow gags, mean-spirited language, and random shock humor. If you’re not already a Farley completist or you don’t enjoy messy, juvenile slapstick with nudity and outdated slurs, this one is very easy to skip.