Taking its title from one of the actor’s most enduring and moving performances in Planes, Trains & Automobiles, John Candy: I Like Me covers the comedic legend’s life and career through the eyes and voices of those who knew him best, including his family and his closest working partners throughout his abbreviated life. From director Colin Hanks (All Things Must Pass, a terrific doc about Tower Records) and producer Ryan Reynolds, the film isn’t afraid to plunge into Candy’s deepest fears of dying young (as his father did); but it also reminds us that he was so afraid of letting anyone down that he too often agreed to help folks out even when he needed a break from the world in order to concentrate on his wife, Rosemary, and their two children, Chris and Jennifer, all of whom are interviewed for this honest documentary.
The film makes wonderful use of archival footage and images, as well as new interviews with so many of his peers and costars, including nearly all of the SCTV compatriots (Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dave Thomas), and a bevy of film costars, including Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Mel Brooks, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Conan O’Brien, and Macauley Culkin, each one of whom tells story after story about Candy’s generosity as a performer, beginning with his time at Second City in Toronto through his early days in movies to his partnership with writer/director John Hughes, his relationship and sensitivity when it came to his weight, and his fear of failure.
The abundance of interview footage with Candy is something that jumped out at me, as well as how he was always cordial, charming, but very serious when he sat down with journalists. So many comedic performers feel they need to carry the jokes into their press days, but Candy seemed thoughtful, even contemplative with reporters about his successes and failures. The analysis of Candy’s comedic persona is fascinating, but so is the idea that he thought of himself as an actor first and comedian second, despite his gift for it. The film isn’t afraid to get below the surface of both his style and his psychological makeup; it examines the traumas that shaped him and how he turned tragedy into fuel for his acting roles. But somehow, I Like Me always brings it back to his family, and it’s the interviews with them that seem to reveal the most about the man, making his untimely death at 43 in 1994 all the more devastating. Despite opening the film with his funeral, it’s remarkable how impactful his death still is at the end of the film. Easily one of the most memorable and finest documentaries of the year.
The film is now streaming on Prime Video.
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