John Candy: I Like Me Review: Colin Hanks Paints a Different Picture (In a Good Way)

Colin Hanks has carved out a nice little career in documentary filmmaking, and it’s paid off. While his first two films were music-based, Hanks pivots to one of Hollywood’s most beloved and missed figures with John Candy: I Like Me. Candy was the cherub-faced comedian of the 1980s. While his trajectory can draw comparisons to other Hollywood legends lost too soon, Hanks presents a familiar picture from a different angle.

Setting a Tone

The film opens with John Candy’s early Second City comedy partner in crime, Bill Murray, wishing he had bad things to say about John Candy. This immediately sets the tone for the documentary, but it is also the crux of the whole project. A lot of the time, we go into these documentaries looking for that dark spot in a figure we loved, but could tell there was a bit more beyond the surface. John Candy didn’t really have that. He had his problems, like we all do, but like his character Del Griffith from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, he was the real deal. What you saw was what you got. 

If you are a comedy nerd, it fills some gaps in that bridge between Saturday Night Live and SCTV. If you grew up with the movies this group of people had made together, it’s equally heartbreaking to hear names like John Hughes and Harold Ramis. Hearing stories about Candy’s collaboration with these directors/writers and the bonds he built with them is endearing.

A New Lens…

The documentary is book-ended with the loving and kind words spoken at his funeral by friends Dan Aykroyd and Catherine O’Hara. Stories range from his rough childhood to his success in comedy and how it affected him during his life. We get the full spectrum of John Candy’s complicated time on Earth. While he was no stranger to getting laughs, Candy’s mental health issues were unknown to most. Interviews, interspersed with a mix of old pictures and home movies, along with clips from SCTV, and his films, narrate Candy’s story. The conversations are with a slew of stars and behind-the-scenes creatives who worked with John throughout his career.

Most reflections on Candy were culled from new interviews. They offer a perspective on a time when discussing mental health was stigmatized. How can a comedian who made the world laugh sad, and when will those manifestations come to pass? The last twenty minutes make for a hard watch, given how tortured Candy was towards the end of his life. Hanks’s doc doesn’t reveal anything new about Candy’s life, but it definitely provides a clearer lens through which to view it.

Technically Speaking

On the editing/technical sides of things, there’s no shortage of great material, whether archival or produced for this documentary. The movie does go on a little long, which is forgivable given its subject was so beloved. Hanks uses the finale of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to frame the end of his film. It works as an homage to the fallen comedy heroes of the era. The last scene of John Hughes’s road comedy is scored with Blue Room’s cover of “Everytime You Go Away.” Hanks enlists Cynthia Erivo for his version. It’s a fitting song and tribute to Candy and the creators of the era, who have also passed away.

Overall Score: 7 out of 10

I Like Me is a nice way to honor a great actor and comedian, like John Candy, but it’s pacing is a little weird. I can only imagine it must be hard to make a documentary about an all-around great guy. In an alternate universe, this is a different film. There’s no shortage of understanding that. Between the interviews with family and frequent collaborators, we learn that his golden personality outshone the one on the silver screen. I Like Me doesn’t focus on John Candy’s funniest moments, but does hit on his most meaningful ones. There are plenty of opportunities to get choked up here, but it actually ends up being a cautionary tale more than anything.

John Candy: I Like Me is available on PRIME VIDEO.

Please see Forrest’s review of Play Dirty, here