I was sitting in the passenger seat of my friend George鈥檚 car as we drove down Highway 11 toward Bracebridge on Oct. 3, 2023, past trees beginning their autumnal transition. We had just finished interviewing some dear family friends at their beautiful cottage on Skeleton Lake 鈥 the first of many for a feature-length documentary about my dad, John Candy.
At the time, the project was untitled. The only name floating around was 鈥淚 Like Me,鈥 and I wasn鈥檛 sure if it felt right. Did my dad like himself the way his character, the affable Del Griffith from 鈥淧lanes, Trains and Automobiles,鈥 liked himself? There was so much I still didn鈥檛 know, but one thing was already clear: I was at the beginning of a long, emotional journey; a large-scale deep dive into my dad鈥檚 life, career and legacy.
As George and I continued down the highway, we encountered something magical. Up ahead, I spotted a familiar-looking station wagon sitting on the flatbed of a tow truck.聽
The day Chris Candy began filming interviews for the John Candy doc “I Like Me,” he spotted this replica of the fictional automobile from his dad’s film 鈥淣ational Lampoon鈥檚 Vacation.鈥澛
Chris CandyIt was an almost perfect replica of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, the iconic fictional automobile from the 1983 film 鈥淣ational Lampoon鈥檚 Vacation,鈥 complete with Ontario license plate reading 鈥淐 GRSWLD.鈥
I knew in that moment that it was a cosmic greeting from my dad 鈥 a nod, a simple thank you to his family for helping him finish his story.
A typical interview conducted by the film鈥檚 director, Colin Hanks, lasted a few hours. I would sit huddled with my notebook and listen, jotting down the phrases coming from my dad鈥檚 closest family, friends and colleagues, including Dave Thomas, Robin Duke, Catherine O鈥橦ara and Martin Short.
鈥淓lephant鈥檚 memory,鈥 鈥渁nxiety attack鈥 and 鈥渄idn鈥檛 suffer fools鈥 are just a few of the notes I scribbled in my pages.
John Candy in a still from “I Like Me,” the opening night film at TIFF 2025.
Prime Video 漏 Amazon Content ServicesMy dad has been gone for over 30 years, gone from my life in physical form, yet during this process it hit me that we have so much in common. I found myself relating to many traits and quirks of his, some of which I was hearing about for the first time. His old high school friend Terry Enright explained that my dad would always be late to things: 鈥淲e called him 鈥楴o Show,鈥欌 he said with a big grin.
If you were to interview my best friends, they would say, 鈥淐hris is and always has been 20 minutes late to everything鈥 鈥 they call it 鈥淐andy time.鈥 This is not something I鈥檓 proud of, but knowing we have this in common makes me feel closer to my dad, a kinship.
I found out that my dad was shy in high school 鈥 so was I! He was also stubborn, just like me. Most poignant was something I already knew, but this time it hit a little harder: He lost his dad when he was five; I lost mine when I was eight.
John Candy with his son, Chris Candy, in a still from “I Like Me,” TIFF’s opening film.聽
Prime Video 漏 Amazon Content ServicesI was in the third grade. My school鈥檚 talent show had taken place the week before; I鈥檇 performed the Weird Al Yankovic song 鈥淭raffic Jam,鈥 and the cardboard cut-outs of cars that my mom and I had made for it were still leaned up against the classroom wall. (My dad couldn鈥檛 make it; he was on location in Durango, Mexico.)
When Father Donie pulled me out of class that day, I thought he was going to compliment me on my performance! He was an artist after all, and a friend of my mom鈥檚.
He walked with me and my sister down to the rectory. We saw our dad鈥檚 assistant, Bob Crane, sobbing. We turned the corner into the priest鈥檚 office, and my mom was there. She told us that our dad had died.
John Candy as a baby with his parents and older brother in a still from “I Like Me,” TIFF’s opening film.
Prime Video 漏 Amazon Content ServicesThis documentary cracks open my dad鈥檚 childhood and the trauma of losing his father at such an early age. It tells the story of how it thrust him into early adulthood, how he dealt with it, how he organized his pain and how that pain presented in his body and mind. How he took care of everyone else before he would take care of himself.
During production in 色色啦, we traced his footsteps, visiting the movie theatres he frequented and the places he called home. I have always felt his energy when I walk the streets of this city.
Every time I鈥檓 near the SkyDome, now Rogers Centre, I think of how my father walked the field during his time as the Argonauts鈥 owner, feeling the joy of success and accomplishment. His nickname was Johnny 色色啦, and he truly lived up to it.
John Candy at SkyDome during the 1991 Canadian Football League Eastern Final. The 色色啦 Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 42-3 to go to the Grey Cup.聽
John E. SokolowskiAs the movie took shape, I watched my dad鈥檚 life being reconstructed before my eyes. It was a strange, unique experience that taught me there is not only a genetic inheritance from our parents but a psychological one as well, and that to grow in this lifetime is a process with no end.
In my dad鈥檚 absence, I had always longed for his guidance; in a way, I felt I was granted my wish.
Chris Candy co-executive produced “I Like Me,” a new documentary about his late dad, John Candy, premiering at TIFF 2025.
Nick WalkerWhen I watched the final cut of the film, I realized that the title 鈥淚 Like Me鈥 was the perfect fit. Not only is it a line of dialogue from the genius mind of my dad鈥檚 best friend, John Hughes (a man I also miss dearly), but it’s a true statement.
John Candy liked himself. His friends liked him, his family liked him 鈥 he was the real article. What you saw was what we got.
The film will be available to stream everywhere on Prime Video on Oct. 10, but first it will have its world premiere at the 色色啦 International Film Festival, on opening night. I see it as the swan song my dad deserves 鈥 one last big and beautiful movie starring John Candy.
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