Oh, Canada!
The Toronto International Film Festival kicked off its 50th edition Thursday evening with the world premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary that celebrates the life and career of the titular funnyman, who died of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 43.
The opening night gala leaned in heavily on Canadian pride, which is not often the case at TIFF. (Last year, the Ben Stiller comedy “Nutcrackers” kicked off the festivities.) But “I Like Me,” which Amazon is releasing on Oct. 10, offered plenty of regional flavor for the hometown crowd. Candy was a local hero, having grown up in Toronto before his breakout on SCTV. He eventually became one of the most in-demand comedy stars of his generation, thanks to such films as “Stripes,” “Splash,” “Spaceballs,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Cool Runnings.” Fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds, who hails from Vancouver and produced the doc, was in attendance, celebrating another one of the Great White North’s biggest showbiz names.
“I grew up here. SCTV was big in my house,” Reynolds said of his introduction to Candy’s work. “We live in this really curated society in which kids — my own kids, too — they’re terrified to suffer. They’re terrified to experiment and be bad at something really. Perfectionism is like a fucking disease. And you see John going fearlessly, having fun and doing so without consequence or penalty. It was just a reminder to allow that in more as you go.”
Reynolds, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a Canadian maple leaf, was joined onstage by the film’s director Colin Hanks, whose father Tom worked with Candy on “Splash,” as well as Candy’s two children, Jennifer and Christopher. Hanks said he met Candy in-person before he ever saw him onscreen, making it hard to cite his earliest impressions of his work. But Hanks eventually settled on Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs” as a highlight. (Brooks is among the many notables who appear in the documentary, alongside Bill Murray, Macaulay Culkin and Dan Aykroyd.
Ahead of the screening, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a surprise appearance to a standing ovation. Speaking to the crowd, Carney made a subtle reference to President Trump’s ongoing tariff standoff with Canada, then said that Candy was at his best when he reached that point of being pushed hard by a bully and standing up to him. “Don’t push a Canadian too far,” Carney said, drawing big laughs from the crowd.
Hanks then asked Reynolds if he wanted to share anything in particular with the audience. After pausing, Reynolds said with a shrug, “I voted for Mark Carney.”
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