A new documentary offers a star-studded but ultimately one-dimensional portrait of the beloved comedian John Candy. While filled with heartfelt tributes from famous collaborators, the film largely glosses over the more complex and somber aspects of the actor’s life and personality.
Candy, a graduate of Toronto’s famed Second City comedy troupe, rose to fame alongside contemporaries like Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray. He became a household name through a string of iconic roles in films such as “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and “Uncle Buck.” His untimely death from a heart attack in 1994, at the age of 43, was linked to health struggles the film only partially addresses.
The documentary’s title, “I Like Me,” is drawn from a poignant scene in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” yet the film seems to confuse the gentle character Candy played with the man himself. Those close to him knew an individual marked by a deeper pessimism, a trait partly rooted in the traumatic loss of his own father to a heart attack at a young age. There was also an awareness that his physical size was inextricably linked to his comedic success.
His open and boyish face made him a natural for the screen, leading to memorable roles under directors like John Hughes and Ron Howard. It was in Howard’s “Splash,” opposite Tom Hanks, that his sunny disposition created a compelling on-screen chemistry. However, some of his most daring and darkly humorous work, such as his “Yellowbelly” character on SCTV—a cowardly cowboy who commits a shocking act—suggests a broader comedic range than the documentary cares to explore. The film ultimately presents a sanitized version of a performer whose real story contained more shadows than it is willing to show.
