John Candy has been gone for more than three decades, but his children say the work of telling his story is only now feeling complete. Jennifer Candy-Sullivan and Chris Candy are celebrating his life and body of work in the new documentary John Candy: I Like Me, and they appeared with director Colin Hanks at the PMC Theater for a panel during Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary event.
The timing gives the film an added push. John Candy: I Like Me is currently available to stream via Prime Video, putting the documentary in front of viewers now rather than later. That matters for a performer whose legacy has long lived in memory and reruns, not in a fresh portrait shaped by the people who knew him best.
Hanks brought a personal connection to the discussion. He appeared with Candy in the 1984 hit film Splash through his father, Tom Hanks, and said Candy was “just a complete performer.” He said there was always a little of Candy in each performance, and that he had the ability to tap into something and perform it on stage, on film or in person. Hanks also said he was about 8 years old when he met Candy in person, and that Candy made him feel like he knew him, liked him and trusted him.
That kind of memory is part of why the documentary lands with the family now. Chris Candy said it took time to understand their father and who he was, adding that the family had more clarity once it became obvious they should partner with a good group of people to tell John Candy’s story. Jennifer Candy-Sullivan said the evolution of documentaries made it feel like now was the time to tell his story the way they had envisioned.
The project does not try to outgrow the man at its center. It leans into the idea that Candy was more than a comedian and that the people closest to him needed time, and the right collaborators, to say so plainly. With the film now streaming and the family speaking publicly about why they made it, the answer to the question behind the documentary is direct: this was the right moment to tell John Candy’s story in full.
