Everybody Loves John Candy
- Oct 16
- 6 min read
John Candy. Just saying his name makes me smile. One of the greatest comedy performers of all time. One of the sweetest, most lovable screen presences in the history of film and television. And gone way, way too soon.
In honor of the release of the new documentary John Candy: I Like Me, I thought I'd reminisce a bit about Candy's career, and give you a list of 10 movies that I think represent his best work as a comedic actor. Some of the parts are smaller than others, but all of them are memorable.
Born October 31, 1950, in Newmarket, Ontario (yes, a Halloween baby) and he died at only 43 years old in 1994 while filming Wagons East. His death crushed me. It crushed everybody who loved comedy, everybody who grew up watching him, everybody who felt like he was a part of their lives.
Because that’s what John Candy did, he made you feel like you knew him, like he was your buddy, your uncle, your neighbor. He had that rare gift.
Candy grew up in Toronto in a working-class Catholic family. His dad died young, from heart disease, when John was just four years old. That shadow followed him his whole life. He dreamed of being a football player, but a knee injury ended that.
So he turned to acting, to comedy, to entertaining people. And thank God he did. He studied journalism, dabbled in drama in college, and then fell into something that would define his career: The Second City.
He joined the Toronto branch in 1972 and before long was part of the cast of SCTV, which, I will say without hesitation, is one of the greatest sketch comedy shows of all time. Period. If you’ve never seen SCTV, fix that immediately.
That show was everything. It was smarter than SNL, funnier than most sitcoms, and filled with a murderers’ row of talent: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Martin Short.
And in the middle of all of it: John Candy, towering, goofy, brilliant. His characters were legendary: Johnny LaRue, Doctor Tongue, William B. Williams, Mayor Tommy Shanks.... so, so many more.
The guy could make you howl with laughter just by standing there and smiling. He had timing, he had physical comedy, but more than anything, he had warmth. Even when he was playing a sleazy character, you still loved him.
That’s what set him apart. John Candy wasn’t just funny, he was lovable. He radiated kindness. And when he jumped into movies, that same quality shone through.
His career exploded in the 1980s: Stripes with Bill Murray, Splash with Tom Hanks, Brewster’s Millions, Spaceballs, and of course, Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
And he kept going: The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Cool Runnings. He popped up in smaller roles too: The Blues Brothers, Vacation, Home Alone. Every time he showed up, you smiled. He could steal a scene with just a few minutes of screen time.
He also did kids’ TV with Camp Candy, he owned part of the Toronto Argonauts (they even won the Grey Cup with him as co-owner in 1991), and he was a proud Canadian through and through.
But then he died, far too young, from a heart attack, in Mexico while filming Wagons East. He struggled with weight, with anxiety, with panic attacks. He knew the risks. His father had died at 35 from the same thing.
And yet, even with all those battles, John Candy kept working, kept giving joy to people, kept making films that live forever. His last two movies, Wagons East and Canadian Bacon, were dedicated to him.
He’s got a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He even got his own postage stamp. And now, in 2025, we have the Colin Hanks directed documentary (produced by Ryan Reynolds) called John Candy: I Like Me, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival, and is playing everywhere. That’s how beloved he still is.
For me, John Candy was one of a kind. His work on SCTV alone makes him a legend, and many of his films are burned into my memory.
He made people laugh, but he also made people feel. That’s what great comedians do. He wasn’t just a clown, he wasn’t just a goofball. He was an actor, a character guy, a comedian, a performer who could do it all. I miss him. We all miss him.
So, in honor of this giant of comedy, and the new documentary, I’ve put together a list of 10 notable movies featuring John Candy.
This is not a ranking, it’s chronological. From his early days to his later films, this is a timeline of joy, laughter, and heart, all anchored by the genius of John Candy.
10 Notable John Candy Films (Chronological):
He’s only in a few scenes, playing the parole officer Burton Mercer, but man, Candy makes an impression, and pretty much steals the movie. “Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips!”.... that’s all you need.
This was his real breakthrough. Playing Ox, the lovable big guy in Ivan Reitman’s military comedy with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. He has that famous mud-wrestling scene, which is both ridiculous and totally John Candy. He was sweet, awkward, and hilarious. This is where America started to fall in love with him.
Another small role, but memorable. At the end of the Griswold family’s disastrous trip, there’s John Candy as the friendly but clueless security guard at Walley World. It’s basically a cameo, but it’s John Hughes writing, and it would be the start of a long, fruitful connection between Hughes and Candy.
This is the big one. Playing Tom Hanks’ brother, Candy steals every scene he’s in. He’s the womanizing, slightly sleazy, but ultimately lovable Freddy. The racquetball scene where he lights a cigarette mid-game is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. This was Candy’s breakout in Hollywood, and suddenly everyone knew who he was.
A personal favorite of mine, this is an exceptional TV movie that Candy co-wrote with Eugene Levy, parodying The Last Waltz but about the legendary Shmenge Brothers polka band. It’s peak SCTV genius. It's also silly, and filled with affection for its subject. It shows just how much of Candy’s brilliance came from collaboration with his Second City pals.
Okay, let’s be honest, it’s not a great movie. But John Candy and Eugene Levy together as bumbling security guards? That’s worth it. The movie might be forgettable, but Candy isn’t. He throws himself into it and wrings laughs out of material that probably didn’t deserve him.
Playing Del Griffith opposite Steve Martin, Candy delivers the funniest, saddest, most human performance of his life. It’s not just a comedy, it’s a heartbreaker. That hotel room scene: “I like me. My wife likes me.” This is John Candy at his absolute best, again, rising above some of mostly mediocre material.
John Hughes again, writing a perfect role for Candy. Uncle Buck is crude, messy, loud, but with a huge heart. Another flawed Hughes script, but Candy nails the part, making Buck both hilarious and deeply lovable. The scene with him interrogating the teenage boyfriend with a power drill? Classic. A watchable family comedy, carried entirely by Candy’s warmth and timing.
Here’s where you see Candy’s range. This isn’t broad comedy, it’s a romantic dramedy, directed by Chris Columbus, where Candy plays a shy Chicago cop taking care of his overbearing mother (played by the great Maureen O’Hara). It’s sweet, it’s heartfelt, and it shows Candy could do more than just slapstick. He could play real, tender emotion.
Yes, Oliver Stone’s JFK, a movie I hate, but... You’ve got Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Joe Pesci, Tommy Lee Jones, and in the middle of this ridiculous political thriller is John Candy, doing a Southern drawl as a shady lawyer. He’s only in one scene, but it’s unforgettable. It proved that Candy could hold his own in a serious, dramatic film.
That’s ten films, from cameo roles to leading performances, each one showing off the brilliance of John Candy. He could do broad comedy, he could do tender drama, he could steal a scene with one line. And always (always) he made you love him.
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