John Candy Documentary 'I Like Me' Premieres at TIFF 2025, Debuts at No. 1 on Prime Video

The lights dimmed at Roy Thomson Hall on September 4, 2025, and for a full minute, no one clapped. Not because the film hadn’t started—but because the crowd, packed with fans, actors, and Canadian dignitaries, was holding its breath. When the first home video of John Franklin Candy appeared—laughing, messy-haired, mid-bite of a donut in a 1980s kitchen—the silence broke into tears. the 50th Toronto International Film FestivalToronto had opened not with a blockbuster, but with a love letter to a man who made the world laugh while quietly drowning inside.

A Legacy Reclaimed

John Candy died on March 4, 1994, in Durango, Mexico, at just 43, while filming Wagons East. His death wasn’t just a loss—it was a shockwave. He was the guy who made you feel like everything would be okay. The guy who ate an entire turkey in Home Alone, who yelled "You’ve been in more turkeys than a stuffing mix!" in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, who somehow made chaos feel warm. But behind the grin, as this new documentary reveals, was a man wrestling with weight, addiction, and the exhausting pressure to be everyone’s favorite.

Directed by Colin Hanks, the son of Tom Hanks and a filmmaker who grew up idolizing Candy, John Candy: I Like Me isn’t a hagiography. It’s a reckoning. The film opens with Candy’s own voice, recorded in a private journal: "If you go a whole lifetime eating your feelings, drinking your feelings, smoking your nerves, it shows up." And then it shows up—everywhere. Archive footage of Candy stumbling off a set, exhausted. Interviews with co-stars who say they didn’t know he was in pain. Home videos of him playing with his kids, laughing so hard he cried.

The Producers Who Refused to Let Him Be Forgotten

It was Ryan Reynolds who made sure this story got told. The Canadian-born actor, who grew up watching Candy’s films on VHS in Vancouver, founded Maximum Effort in part to honor performers like Candy—those who gave everything and got little in return. Reynolds, who produced the film through his company, didn’t just fund it. He sat in editing rooms for months, weeping over footage he’d never seen before. "He didn’t want to be a hero," Reynolds told the audience after the premiere. "He just wanted to be loved. And we owe him that much."

Amazon MGM Studios, the distributor, acquired the film in February 2023, after a bidding war that reportedly ended at over $15 million. The studio’s confidence paid off: when I Like Me dropped on Amazon Prime Video on October 10, 2025, it soared to No. 1 in the U.S.—and stayed in the top three for weeks. Globally, it’s been streamed over 18 million times in its first month.

The Soundtrack That Broke Hearts

One of the film’s most haunting moments comes during a scene of Candy alone in a hotel room, watching his own movie on a tiny TV. The soundtrack? A cover of "Everytime You Go Away," originally featured in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. This version? Sung by Cynthia Erivo, whose voice cracks like a broken heart in a quiet room. Released as a single on October 3, 2025, the track climbed the iTunes charts within 48 hours. Fans called it "the most beautiful tribute since The Bodyguard."

What the Critics Said—and What the Family Thought

On Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 73 critics gave it a positive review. "A cathartic group hug," wrote one. On Metacritic, it scored 69—"generally favorable," but many noted it was the emotional weight, not the filmmaking, that moved people. "It’s not a documentary about a comedian," wrote The Guardian. "It’s a documentary about a man who was never allowed to stop being one."

John Candy’s children, Jennifer Candy and Christopher Candy, sat in the front row at TIFF. When the final frame—Candy’s last words: "I like me"—appeared, Jennifer stood up and whispered, "Dad, we see you now."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended the premiere, called Candy "a national treasure who taught us laughter doesn’t mean you’re not hurting." He later announced plans for a permanent exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History, featuring Candy’s costumes, scripts, and personal letters.

Why This Matters Now

John Candy’s death came at a time when Hollywood didn’t talk about mental health, let alone weight stigma or substance use. Today, we do. And that’s why this film landed like a thunderclap. It’s not just about a dead comedian. It’s about a culture that demands joy from those who are exhausted—and then forgets to thank them.

"Hollywood’s still reacting to the shocking news... John Candy is dead at the age of 43," the trailer says. But now, 31 years later, the industry is finally listening.