John Candy: I Like Me

Premise

John Candy began his career on the sketch comedy series Second City Television before becoming one of the most popular and beloved stars of comedy films until his death of a heart attack in 1994. The film relies primarily on rare and never-before-seen archive footage, outtakes, private home video, audio commentary, and interviews provided by friends and family. The film's title comes from a line that Candy's character spoke in a memorable scene from the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Production

John Candy: I Like Me was first announced by producer Ryan Reynolds in 2022. The film's acquisition from Amazon Prime Video was announced in February 2023.

Music

Cynthia Erivo recorded a cover of the song "Everytime You Go Away" (that ended the film Planes, Trains and Automobiles), which was released as a single on October 3, 2025.

Tyler Strickland composed the film score, with the soundtrack album released by Lakeshore Records on October 17, 2025.

Studio cut excerpts used the following tracks:

Release

The world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me took place at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 4, 2025, at the Roy Thomson Hall, which included a live Q&A session with the film's director, producer and Candy's children, Jennifer and Christopher Candy, following the screening. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney attended the premiere, spoke to the audience, and paid tribute to Candy. The same day, an official trailer was released by Amazon Prime Video.

Audience viewership

According to Amazon, John Candy: I Like Me debuted at No. 1 on Prime Video for its digital release in the United States and ranked third for the week ending October 17, 2025.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 76 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Focusing on the good times as it chronicles John Candy's life and career, I Like Me gathers those who knew and loved the iconic actor for a bittersweet retrospective that feels like a cathartic group hug." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter rated the film positively, calling it a "big-hearted documentary that's as embracing and generous of spirit as the man himself". Tim Grierson of Screen Daily gave a mixed review, calling the film "an appealing, ultimately melancholy tribute to the late Canadian comic," adding, "I Like Me contains interviews with such comedy luminaries as Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Catherine O'Hara, who speak with endless affection about the late star of hits like Splash and Planes, Trains & Automobiles [...] Although a somewhat conventional portrait, the film works best as a lament for a talented actor who struggled to reach his full potential before passing away far too young." Jason Bailey of RogerEbert.com was more critical, giving it 2.5 out of 4 stars, describing some of the structuring choices as "downright baffling" and continuing, "little to no interest is paid to Candy's considerable growth as an actor over the course of his career—particularly in the last few years of his life." However, he praised the archive material, writing, "We're treated to copious home videos, rare outtakes from his movies and footage from his stage performances, family photos, the works."