The Toronto Film Festival won’t be taking place until September, but it has been announced that the Colin Hanks-directed and Ryan Reynolds-produced John Candy documentary “John Candy: I Like Me” is heading to the festival’s Opening Night Gala.
Candy is a founding member of the legendary “SCTV,” the Canadian sketch television counterpart to Lorne Michaels‘ “Saturday Night Live,” with fantastic feature film performances in movies like “Trains, Planes & Automobiles,” “The Great Outdoors,” “Uncle Buck,” Mel Brooks‘ parody film “Spaceballs,” “Cool Runnings,” and the Michael Moore-directed goofball comedy “Canadian Bacon,” that featured a fictional war between the United States and Canada.
Alongside notable appearances in flicks such as “The Blues Brothers,” “Home Alone,” Steven Spielberg‘s rare flub “1941,” “Stripes,” lent his voice to multiple segments in the mature animated flick “Heavy Metal,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” the Richard Pryor flick “Brewster’s Millions,” “JFK,” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
He quickly grew a reputation for being quite a fun and kind person on and off-set, as “John Candy: I Like Me” is expected to explore all sides of the late funny man. Ultimately, Candy would pass due to a heart attack at the age of 43 while shooting his final film in 1994, “Wagons East,” leaving a legacy of work that any comedic actor could be proud of.
The official synopsis for the Amazon MGM Studios doc:
An exploration of the life of the Canadian comedic icon. This John Candy film documents his on- and off-camera existence, featuring never-before-seen home videos, intimate access to his family, and candid recollections from collaborators to paint a bigger picture of one of the brightest stars of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. It’s the story of a son, husband, father, friend, and professional driven to bring joy to audiences and loved ones while battling personal ghosts and Hollywood pressures.
Hanks, is the son of Tom Hanks, who worked with the late Canadian improv comedian and actor on the film “Splash,” where Candy infamously shot a scene with Hanks involving a squash game after an extremely heavy night of drinking as it highlights the comedian’s ability to become a standout in movies in big or small parts with some of the best comedic timing ever done on either television or film.
“When you hear the name John Candy, your face lights up. He wasn’t just a great actor; he was an even better person. People loved his everyman qualities, but they didn’t know how relatable John really was. He went through the same struggles we all do, except now we talk about them. We are incredibly honoured to have gotten to know the man better through this process and to bring the real John Candy to audiences starting with his hometown of Toronto,” Hanks and Reynolds said in a joint statement.
TIFF 50th edition is taking place between September 4 to 14, with “John Candy: I Like Me” heading to Prime Video later in the fall.
Speaking of Candy and “SCTV,” director Martin Scorsese had been working on a new Netflix and CTV special called “An Afternoon with SCTV.” We’ll keep our fingers crossed that one will finally materialize.
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