RECENTLY VIEWED: JOHN CANDY - I LIKE ME

Over the New Year holidays, I watched two documentaries on comedians. There was one on Chevy Chase, which I already reviewed, I just finished one on John Candy that is streaming on Amazon Prime. Those two documentaries could not have been more different. John Candy: I Like Me is a 2025 American documentary film directed by Colin Hanks and is a portrait of the Canadian actor John Candy. The documentary premiered on September 4, 2025, as the opening night film of the Toronto International Film Festival.

John Candy began his career on the sketch comedy series Second City Television before becoming one of the most popular and beloved stars of comedy films until his death of a heart attack in 1994. The film relies primarily on rare and never-before-seen archive footage, outtakes, private home video, audio commentary and interviews provided by friends and family. The world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me took place at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 4, 2025, at the Roy Thomson Hall, including a live Q&A session with the film's director, producer and Candy's children Jennifer and Christopher Candy after the screening. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney attended the premiere, spoke to the audience, and paid tribute to Candy. Earlier the same day, an official trailer was released by Amazon Prime Video.

While the Chevy Chase documentary only had a few of his peers, everyone seemed to appear in the John Candy documentary, and John was genuinely loved by everyone from family and friends to people he worked with. The documentary was touching and sad. John Candy was a wonderful person and it showed through. While the Chevy Chase documentary exposed Chase as mean and egotistical, this John Candy really showed what a great human being John was. The world not only lost a funny man when John died, but the world lost a great human being. I recommend this documentary 100%. Then go watch a John Candy movie and marvel in the genius he was...

MY RATING: 10 OF 10