“John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, premiered Thursday as the opening-night film at the Toronto International Film Festival, offering a warm and intimate portrait of one of Canada’s most beloved comic actors.
The film frames Candy not only as a gifted performer in films such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck and The Great Outdoors, but as a generous, approachable presence off screen. Early in the documentary, Bill Murray quips, “I wish I had more bad things to say about him.” Filmmaker Mel Brooks calls Candy “a total actor because he was a total person.”
Hanks and Reynolds assembled interviews with peers and collaborators to build a portrait of Candy as both an artist and a human being. The documentary balances recollections of his screen work with anecdotes about his kindness and the warmth that colleagues and friends say defined his life. That emphasis on character resonated with festival organizers and audiences in Toronto, Candy’s hometown, where he was often affectionately called “Johnny Toronto.”
Festival programmers said the selection felt fitting for an opening-night slot given Candy’s stature in Canadian popular culture. The film’s tone — affectionate, sometimes wistful, and focused on personal testimony — reflected the aim of celebrating an entertainer whose roles combined broad humor with a fundamentally humane sensibility.
Reviewers attending the premiere noted the documentary’s restraint, choosing reminiscence and archival material over sensational detail. The film includes clips from Candy’s best-known comedies and references to smaller appearances, including a brief cameo in The Blues Brothers that the documentary invokes with playful nods to fans.
Hanks, speaking about the logistics of bringing the project to audiences, said the team spent considerable time deciding when and where to debut the film and ultimately felt the Toronto festival was the appropriate setting for a tribute to a native son.
Candy’s career spanned television and film, beginning in Canadian comedy troupes before moving to Hollywood, where he became identified with characters who combined bumbling exasperation and heartfelt sincerity. His performances in ensemble comedies and family-friendly films made him a fixture of 1980s and early 1990s North American cinema, a legacy the documentary revisits through interviews and archival footage.
The premiere at TIFF capped a selection process by festival programmers who often seek films that speak to local and international audiences. By placing a documentary about Candy at the festival’s opening, TIFF highlighted both the cultural memory of a national figure and the continuing appetite for biographical films that emphasize the personal dimensions of public performers.
“John Candy: I Like Me” offers viewers a concentrated look at a career and life that colleagues describe in straightforward, admiring terms. The documentary’s premiere in Toronto underscored the enduring connection between the late actor and his native city, and it set a gentle, nostalgic tone for the festival’s opening night programming.