I was excited to see the recent documentary about John Candy. A kind and funny man with such a warmth and gentleness who died an early death. He starred in many films I saw and loved as a teenager, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Little Shop Of Horrors, Home Alone and Spaceballs The Movie.
John Candy: I Like Me is a 2025 documentary directed by Colin Hanks and is by produced by Ryan Reynolds. The generous use of archive material and the glowing tributes from friends Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd at the beginning set it up to be a great big group hug.
In April 2024 I blogged about Robin Williams as part of my trying understand what makes a successful comedian. I concluded:
“You might start with raw talent, but often there is a dark force driving you on – an overwhelming need to run towards or away from something.”
One of the first things we learn is that John’s father, Sidney, died of a massive heart attack on his son’s fifth birthday. John’ own son explains how this wasn’t dealt with by the family and left his father looking for help throughout his life. Sadly, John was convinced that he would suffer the exactly the same fate. That’s enough trauma to make anyone spend their lives seeking approval from others.
The title of this documentary is taken from one of my favourite films, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It’s essentially a story about redemption, an odd couple thrown together by chance who must work together to get through adversity. Candy’s performance as Del Griffith leaves me tearful every time I see it. The I like me dialogue comes at the critical low-point of the main characters. It is Del’s response to Steve Martin’s character’s unrelenting assault on his personality. But it means so much more. It is a mantra for anyone who is different; to stand up and be defiantly proud of who they are. The way Candy acted this scene with such feeling (please watch it) tells us that he is no stranger to belittlement himself. That this defiance accompanies a deep sense of shame that prevents John’s character from being able to ask for help, is disappointing, but it works in a story about friendship.
Talented filmmaker John Hughes wrote and directed this film, he and Candy were close personal friends. The documentary recalls that they were like brothers, spending family holidays together. Hughes had already written Uncle Buck for Candy and used to run his scripts past his friend. It is very likely that the “I like me” dialogue was written with or for John Candy. Either way, Hughes knew he was going to get a big performance.
John Candy was a physically big man. He struggled with weight issues throughout his life. There are interviews in the documentary, where John is interrogated mercilessly about his weight by grinning chat show hosts. One asks his weight and applauds his recent weight loss, reinforcing the toxic notion that losing weight is good and that carrying weight is bad. According to his son, there were even worse interactions with the media that were cut from the documentary. John had been pushed into a corner; under pressure to lose weight, but also to maintain his characteristic size. I like me names the source of this pressure, Hollywood. Conan O’Brien explains that “Hollywood eats people pleasers”. Co-star Macauley Culkin confirms, “If you’re in Hollywood for too long, you become an asshole, go mad or die.” John was definitely a people pleaser; Hollywood destroyed him.
In his last years, many photographs show his usual warm smile, but I noticed that in a few he seemed to be sitting down with his leg extended. Perhaps the years of carrying extra weight, an old football injury to his knee and a hectic lifestyle were becoming a problem for him. As his anxiety was. Crushing self-doubt had always been there and he didn’t want to be seen as a bad person. Many who worked with him were surprised by the depth of his private problems. John never took a vacation or missed an opportunity to give an autograph or spend a moment with a fan. At the end of his life, John was undergoing therapy. He was suffering panic attacks and would not even be seen eating. He was found in his hotel room on the set of his last film, having died from a massive heart attack at the age of 44. An open bible lying next to him.
I Like Me is a loving tribute, not an opportunity to examine John Candy’s darker side under a microscope. His struggles with his weight and wanting to be liked are subtly referred to throughout, but their collective impact over his life is left for us to determine. He carried his problems with him through life until they became unbearable, but they didn’t make him the grand and compassionate person he was.
I am reminded of the words of another exceptionally kind and generous person who struggled with his mental health.
“I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it feels like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anybody else to feel like that.” -Robin Williams-
Life is not like the movies, I wish it were. I wish John Candy had been able to channel Del Griffith and tell that interviewer that his weight was none of their business, and that he liked himself. Instead, just like that same character, he internalised his problems and carried on. Vainly hoping for a happy Hollywood ending. I wish someone could have saved him.
John Candy: I Like Me is available to stream on Amazon.com
Richard C Brown MBE – October 2025
World According to Me: 