Among the many great comedic actors who starred in iconic comedies in the 1980s and 90s was John Candy. Candy got his start on the Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV and went on to star in several blockbuster films that became classics, such as Stripes, Spaceballs, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains & Automobiles and Canadian Bacon to name a few.
Candy unfortunately passed away in 1994 of a heart attack with his last two films Wagons East and Canadian Bacon released posthumously. His legacy has lived on as one of the most memorable comedic actors of that era of film, but his life and joyous personality will be explored in new depths in the documentary John Candy: I Like Me which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Director Colin Hanks, whose father Tom Hanks starred with Candy in Splash, actor Ryan Reynolds who serves as a producer and Candy’s two children Chris and Jennifer Candy, both executive producers, took the stage at Toronto’s Second City comedy club where Candy began his career to talk about the doc and his legacy.
Life for the doc began when Reynolds shared a tribute video to John Candy several years ago. The video went viral with several commenting how much they enjoy Candy’s movies and his nice, boisterous personality. “You did that really beautiful video that you put out on your Twitter account at the time. It went viral primarily and the first time there was some major activity of our dad online and that was really constructive to this,” his son Chris said.
“You saw how people really grabbed onto it,” Reynolds replied, which Jennifer Candy agreed. “They grabbed onto it, it was a great little snippet of what a full-length documentary could be,” she said.
From there, Reynolds contacted Colin Hanks about the possibility of producing a documentary about the life and career of John Candy. “Ryan called me up and basically said ‘I don’t want to live in a world where there is not a documentary about John Candy.’ I said I agree, I wouldn’t want to live in that world either and then he said ‘You should direct it,'” Hanks said. “We ended up having a lovely conversation about if we were to do that, what would that actually be. I feel that ‘insert famous historical person’ anyone will say oh, you should make a documentary about that. It’s not necessarily the wrong instinct, but what does that film actually look like? What is the story you’re actually telling?”
Throughout his brief but impactful career Candy blended humour with heartfelt emotion, going from a half-man/half-dog in Spaceballs to an eccentric but grieving figure in Planes, Trains & Automobiles with ease. Reynolds revealed he was drawn to the nuances of both Candy’s character and integrity in telling his story.
“John, to me, really represents togetherness, joy, not punching down,” he said. “John was a good person when no one was watching. I think that’s a beautiful thing. We live in a very curated world right now, I’d argue too curated, and John was around and moving through the world before any of that and he left in his wake a kindness and a joy. For me its nostalgia too, I think nostalgia is the greatest drug on Earth and John had a way about him that really brought them together and still does to this day.”
“He was human and he was our dad and it’s amazing to see it through they eyes of people who admire him and love him just as much as we do,” Jennifer Candy added.
Given that Candy passed away over 30 years ago now, his children felt it was the right time to explore their father’s influence in the comedy sphere as well as his many fans. “I think for our family, we were in a place where we were ready to share more,” Chris Candy said. “We had a better understanding of what he was going through. There were all types of psychological stuff that we had to understand about him and if we were ever going to trust anybody to tell that story, we wanted to make sure we had an understanding of what was going on. It was just the perfect time for it.” He also added producing the film served as an act of healing closure for him and his sister. “It very much feels like a swan song and a very beautiful goodbye to our dad. It’s one last great John Candy film he gets to star in, so we’re really happy about that.”
“I think as you get older you understand more that its okay to share,” Jennifer Candy said. “For me, when I was younger I didn’t quite understand it, but knew that it was okay and I was fine sharing my dad with these amazing fans and friends and extended family because I think our core family was so strong and so tight knit it felt it was okay. It wasn’t like I was missing something, I didn’t feel like I had a gap. As I got older I loved it because it also helped me fill the void of being gone, talking to so many people, sharing and hearing their stories was great for me.”
While Candy did not generate or was the subject of controversy he was often targeted by the media due to his weight, a fact the documentary explores and the effect it had on him personally. Hanks said this was one aspect which drew him to telling Candy’s story.
“There were two things I found that were really fascinating because we were dealing with this story that took place now decades ago is what was said and unsaid,” Hanks explained. “At that time, talking about therapy or mental health was just something you did not do. That I thought was an incredibly interesting topic considering nowadays it is such a part of the social conversation. It’s very common to hear ‘I’m taking a mental health day’ or anything like that. It interested me that that was not something that was discussed, yet it was totally okay to mention someone’s weight to their face and make them feel incredibly uncomfortable while they’re trying to give you an interview.”
“A documentary is listening more than it is telling. The thing that you think is untouchable or something you want to sit as far away from as possible is sometimes is the very thing you want to move toward,” Reynolds added. “It’s amazing how we canonize the comedian or the guy who made us laugh for so many years posthumously, not so much in the moment, much more posthumously. There’s a whole generation who hasn’t seen him yet and I am so excited.”
While Candy is a beloved actor, he is especially so in his home country of Canada where Reynolds and the Candy children said he was “the spirit of Canada” with his positivity, generosity and kindness. As to why it was important they as Canadians told his story, Reynolds explained “Canadian stories are distinct in so many ways and they’re not distinct because they’re not American. Canada has got its own culture, its own vibe. I can meet a Canadian, even if they’re hiding an accent, there is something there that is a comradery and an ability to laugh at oneself. To me it was something I utilized everywhere every chance I got. You see it in guys like Dan Aykroyd, a very proud Canadian, John was an incredibly proud Canadian, as am I.”
John Candy: I Like Me premieres at TIFF September 4th followed by an Amazon Prime release on October 10th.
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