John Candy: I Like Me (Colin Hanks, 2025, USA)

John Candy: I Like Me is a new documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by, among others, Ryan Reynolds. As its title suggests, the documentary centers around Canadian actor-comedian John Candy, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s as one of the most recognizable funny men in movies. Candy was deeply connected to Canada and his Canadianness, and so it is no surprise that the film received such a warm reception at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is essentially a who’s who of Canadian comedy royalty, and not only. As one would expect, major Hollywood figures, including Tom Hanks and Mel Brooks, also make appearances.

The film traces Candy’s very modest origins in suburban Toronto to his ascendancy to the heights of movie stardom. The early portion of the film is as much a history of Canadian comedy as it is a history of Canada. Notably, the film traces the rise and fall of SCTV, Canada’s answer to Saturday Night Live, which launched the careers of such notables as Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, and Bill Murray. Steven Spielberg’s appreciation of the show led to him casting Candy in his flop 1941, which nevertheless launched Candy’s Hollywood career.

John Candy: I Like Me is poignant in that we see Candy constantly feeling his limited time. His own father died of a heart attack at the age of 35, and Candy felt that this was always a distinct possibility. On the one hand, Candy made attempts to address his weight and lifestyle choices, but on the other hand, he was typecast in certain roles that would have made losing weight problematic. Ultimately, he died too soon at the young age of 1994. There are heartfelt words from co-stars as well as Candy’s wife and children.

7/10