Rating: ★★★★★ (5.0/5)
I’ve tried watching this off and on for the last month and finally got it done tonight. I’m thrilled that I kept going.
I grew up, like most millenials, with John Candy in my orbit. He was there in Home Alone, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, and Cool Runnings. Movies that were pivotal in my childhood. Memorable because I loved them with my mom, who also was a big John Candy fan. I even watched his cartoon, Camp Candy. He was just always around.
Until he wasn’t.
I think he was the first celebrity death that actually impacted me. Someone that I saw on screen and I felt like he would always be present and I’d get to watch him in movies for a long time. I remember watching Entertainment Tonight with my parents, like we did every night. It was kind of our after dinner show that was just fun to see. This was back when you actually got news about upcoming movies because it was the only place it happened. They announced John Candy had passed away overnight while shooting Wagon’s East.
My dad even paid attention to that and he didn’t pay attention to a lot when it came to movies and celebrities.
This movie was such a wonderful encapsulation of his short but very impactful life. I loved seeing his friends share stories, his kids talk about their dad, and Bill Murray desperately trying to come up with some dirt. The most dirt he could get was a story that was more funny and didn’t show John in a bad light at all. He knew that, of course.
I definitely cried at the end. What a tear jerker it was. I learned a few things but one thing that stood out the most to me is Dan Aykroyd’s incredible eulogy during Candy’s funeral. If anyone ever talked about me the way Dan talked about John, I’d consider my life pretty dang successful.
What a beautiful guy he was. I liked him too.