Ah, Canada!
The Toronto International Film Festival launched its 50th edition on Thursday evening with the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary celebrating the life and career of the nominal Funnyman, who died of a heart attack at the age of 43 in 1994.
The opening night gala leaned heavily on Canadian pride, but this isn’t often the case with TIFF. (Last year, Ben Stiller’s comedy The Nutcracker launched a festivities.) However, Amazon’s release on October 10th, “I Like Me” offered many local flavours to the crowds in their hometown. Candy is a local hero and grew up in Toronto before his breakout on SCTV. He eventually became one of the most sought-after comedy stars of his generation thanks to films like “Stripe,” “Splash,” “Space Ball,” “Airplanes, Trains, Autos,” “Uncle Back,” and “Cool Running.” A companion from Vancouver native and documentary Ryan Reynolds from Canada was present to celebrate another of Great White North’s biggest showbiz names.
“I grew up here. SCTV was big in my home,” Reynolds said of introducing Candy’s work. “We live in this curated society where my kids (and my own children too) are terrifying to suffer. They are scary to experiment, and something really gets bad. Perfectionism is like a shitty illness.
Reynolds, wearing a Canadian maple leaf t-shirt, was joined by film director Colin Hanks on stage. Colin Hanks’ father Tom worked with Candy as well as Candy’s two children, Jennifer and Christopher. Hanks said it makes it difficult to meet Candy before he sees him on screen and cite early impressions of his work. However, Hanks eventually settled in Melbrooks’ “Space Ball” as a highlight. (Brooks is one of the many famous people who appear in the documentary, along with Bill Murray, Macaulay Culkin and Dan Aykroyd.
Prior to the screening, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a surprise appearance in the standing ovation. Talking to the crowd, Carney subtly mentions President Trump’s ongoing tariff standoff with Canada, then says Candy is in his best form when he reaches the point where he is pushed hard by the bully and faces him. “Don’t push Canadians too much,” Carney said, giving a loud laugh from the crowd.
Hanks then asked Reynolds if he wanted to share anything with the audience in particular. After pausing, Reynolds shrugged, “I voted for Mark Kearney.”
