Who doesn’t love John Candy? Granted, there probably is a new generation that is unaware of the beloved iconic funnyman, or at least less familiar. But John Candy is a staple of the 1980’s with some of the all-time classic comedies and a huge influence on so many comedic performers who knew him or who followed him. JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME explores the life and legacy of the iconic funnyman John Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994, at the age of 43.
JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME tells John Candy’s life story mostly through his wife (Rose), son (Chris), daughter (Jennifer) and many other family and friends. Director Colin Hanks is able to get a lot of famous people to say a little something who all sound genuinely eager to speak about John Candy’s sincere kindness, humor, and talent. Famous names like Bill Murray, Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Robin Duke, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, Chris Columbus, Macaulay Culkin, and Mel Brooks all add their own warm memories of the loveable star.
My children have only seen John Candy in HOME ALONE and SPACEBALLS. But after watching the JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME documentary, my wife and I decided it was time they see UNCLE BUCK and PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES, the movie which has Candy’s line, “I like me” from which the documentary’s title was named after. But to be honest, we just want to watch them again.
As much as I enjoyed reliving John Candy memories, JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME is really groundbreaking in the documentary department. The stories are pretty straightforward and don’t give anything too new or interesting to separate it as especially insightful. Nonetheless, it’s quite beautiful how much the people who knew thought so highly of him and loved him. Like so many fans, I love John Candy movies and revisiting them through clips and stories in JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME is a dose of feel-good nostalgia that I will never turn down.
