Do you miss John Candy?
03-03-19 | 04:41 PM
#126
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Candy would be 68. What kind of movies would he be going today? Would he be stuck doing DTV movies? Working mostly behind the camera (as a producer and/or writer)? Retired?
03-03-19 | 04:52 PM
#127
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I think Candy could’ve been a great actor but he didn’t really live long enough to showcase that side - Planes is probably his best and he was very good in JFK, but sadly, I’d imagine a lot of people under 30 only have a vague idea who he was.
03-03-19 | 05:02 PM
#128
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
John Candy and Chris Farley are still the two actors I loved as a child who’s death hurt the most.
I still remember watch Rookie of the Year as a young teenager and thinking “John Candy actually looks pretty good in this. I think he’s going to be alright.” ...And then he died soon afterward. Of course this was before I saw Wagon’s East and Canadian Bacon where he looked like shit.
03-03-19 | 05:24 PM
#129
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Well, comedic actors tend to have a shelf life. I'm not sure he would have been able to continue for much longer as a lead in comedies, as the 90s stars (Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Chris Farley - briefly) were on the rise. Bill Murray managed to have a longer career, but he had to go in a different direction. Perhaps Candy could have done more serious work to keep it going.
I think he really would have been in demand as a voice actor. I know it's difficult to imagine different actors in certain roles, but he might have been Shrek, or Sully in Monsters Inc.
I think he really would have been in demand as a voice actor. I know it's difficult to imagine different actors in certain roles, but he might have been Shrek, or Sully in Monsters Inc.
03-03-19 | 05:39 PM
#130
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Good point. He may not have done comedy forever, but he could have tried other types of roles. JFK is a good role where he’s not playing his typical type of character. Even his role as Del he was subdued at the end and tugged at the heart strings. I think he would have been capable of breaking out of the comedy shell had he lived longer to have more chances. I could see him being similar to Robin Williams in ways. Such a shame.
Last edited by Mike86; 03-03-19 at 05:45 PM.
03-03-19 | 05:56 PM
#131
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
03-03-19 | 05:58 PM
#132
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I liked Farley but never as much as Candy personally. Farley fell back on his weight for jokes a lot. Candy was a big guy too but not all jokes about him revolved around that.
03-03-19 | 06:33 PM
#133
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I bet he would be doing a crappy sitcom on CBS
It sucks Candy and Farley is gone but I miss Phil Hartman more.
It sucks Candy and Farley is gone but I miss Phil Hartman more.
03-08-19 | 08:01 PM
#134
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
My Grandma did not know he was when he passed just seeing people in tears and everybody was talking him, don't remember people getting real emotional over Robin Williams but I very young when Candy passed so I don't remember, I feel bad for people who don't know who he is, Just a Name like Lou Costello. Comedy's well never be the same again people don't think this type of comedy is funny anymore.
03-08-19 | 08:05 PM
#135
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Holy fuck. I just told a friend Uncle Buck is probably my favorite John Hughes movie and probably favorite Candy movie. The last scene in that movie was the perfect goodbye and like to think that was his last great one...
03-09-19 | 06:37 AM
#136
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I haven't watched a lot of John Candy movies. Every time I see a little piece of one, he seems to be playing the pathetic fat guy. Because fat is funny, right?
I watched SCTV every week and loved it. But I didn't enjoy him in movies.
I watched SCTV every week and loved it. But I didn't enjoy him in movies.
03-09-19 | 11:08 AM
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
03-09-19 | 12:00 PM
#138
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I haven’t seen SCTV at all really aside from some clips. Just not a huge fan of sketch shows really despite him being on it. I would say that most of his films don’t rely on his weight that often for jokes.
03-09-19 | 01:53 PM
#140
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I don't recall a specific example of them making jokes at the expense of his weight. I suppose, though, that you could point out when Steve Martin accidentally used his large underwear as a towel in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Whenever I watched a John Candy movie, I never saw him as playing the pathetic fat guy. I always saw him as the father figure with a big heart. Maybe since I grew up in the Midwest, I have a deeper connection to the type of character he played since I actually grew up with people that had his same personality. Every time I watch the Great Outdoors, I feel like I am reliving my childhood. I miss John Candy more than any other actor by far. I always wonder what movies he would have starred in if he didn’t pass away so young.
One of my favourites, that I don't see mentioned very often, is Only The Lonely, with Ally Sheedy and Maureen O'hara.
03-11-19 | 08:18 PM
#141
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Reelz did a autopsy special on Candy and his family had a history of dying young from a heart attack and he did not care if he ate too much or had a bad diet.
He was insecure thinking if he lost weight he might not be funny anymore and his career would go down the toilet.
He was insecure thinking if he lost weight he might not be funny anymore and his career would go down the toilet.
11-24-22 | 11:49 AM
#142
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Ryan Reynolds, who despite his success remains very Canadian, is producing a documentary about fellow Canadian John Candy through his production company Maximum Effort. Colin Hanks is co-producing. The project has the approval and support of the Candy family/estate. 
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11-24-22 | 12:03 PM
#143
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
A few years ago I got to interview his daughter and she had a lot of funny stories of life with her dad on and off set. I gather they'll be involved in some fashion with the doc.
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11-24-22 | 03:32 PM
#144
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
Can’t wait for this. His life in the right hands could be very very enjoyable.
11-24-22 | 07:14 PM
#145
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I miss him a lot and I'm sure watching this will be emotional. I imagine there'll be a lot of happy memories.
11-27-22 | 03:23 AM
#147
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I bet he would be doing a lame CBS sitcom if he was still around.
If there ever was a John Madden movie and Candy was still alive he would have been perfect in that role and maybe Oscar worthy too?
If there ever was a John Madden movie and Candy was still alive he would have been perfect in that role and maybe Oscar worthy too?
09-04-25 | 09:06 AM
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
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09-04-25 | 09:52 AM
#149
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
This will be a tough watch. That trailer has me welling up.
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09-04-25 | 10:24 AM
#150
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Re: Do you miss John Candy?
I feel like this story would've gotten a ton of "likes" if we'd had "likes" here back in 2014 when I first posted it!
Here's my John Candy story...
Around ten years ago, my buddy and I went to Chicago for a long weekend and we were going to crash at another of my friend's apartment. When we showed up, though, he told us he had one roommate moving out, another moving in, and the landlord was doing some work on the place so we couldn't stay there. Instead, he was checking in on another friend's cats and he asked her if we could stay at her place. She said it was cool so long as we feed the cats and he gave us the keys. Finally, he said we might see some things at her place that would leave us with questions and we could ask him at the party that night. ...Okay...
So we get to the address. It's literally 2-3 blocks around the corner from the Second City theater. We head up the stairs, unlock the door, and enter. It's a nice little one-bedroom apartment in a beautiful brownstone. We settle in and have a seat to go over our plans for the weekend. My friend notices a family photo of a father and daughter and he says wow, that guy looks like John Candy. At about the same time, I notice another family photo and think the same thing. Then we look at the DVD rack and see a bunch of John Candy movies. Hmm...
At the party that night, we ask my Chicago friend exactly whose apartment we're staying in for the week. Turns out, it's John Candy's daughter. This was the apartment he stayed in as a young man when he was doing Second City mainstage in Chicago (before Toronto, I think). He had since purchased it and now his daughter was living in it. For the rest of the weekend, my buddy and I would say things like, "Hey, I'm going to use John Candy's oven." "Sounds good. I'm going to use John Candy's toilet." It was a surreal experience. I have never met any of the Candys, let alone his daughter (we're the same age and apparently have some mutual acquaintances) and everyone I know who knows them in any capacity says they're awesome people and really honor his memory, too.
If you want some awesome John Candy stories, you should really read the tell-all book about SCTV by Dave Thomas. If I have a chance I'll type a few paraphrases up later.
To answer the thread title question, yeah, I absolutely do.
Around ten years ago, my buddy and I went to Chicago for a long weekend and we were going to crash at another of my friend's apartment. When we showed up, though, he told us he had one roommate moving out, another moving in, and the landlord was doing some work on the place so we couldn't stay there. Instead, he was checking in on another friend's cats and he asked her if we could stay at her place. She said it was cool so long as we feed the cats and he gave us the keys. Finally, he said we might see some things at her place that would leave us with questions and we could ask him at the party that night. ...Okay...
So we get to the address. It's literally 2-3 blocks around the corner from the Second City theater. We head up the stairs, unlock the door, and enter. It's a nice little one-bedroom apartment in a beautiful brownstone. We settle in and have a seat to go over our plans for the weekend. My friend notices a family photo of a father and daughter and he says wow, that guy looks like John Candy. At about the same time, I notice another family photo and think the same thing. Then we look at the DVD rack and see a bunch of John Candy movies. Hmm...
At the party that night, we ask my Chicago friend exactly whose apartment we're staying in for the week. Turns out, it's John Candy's daughter. This was the apartment he stayed in as a young man when he was doing Second City mainstage in Chicago (before Toronto, I think). He had since purchased it and now his daughter was living in it. For the rest of the weekend, my buddy and I would say things like, "Hey, I'm going to use John Candy's oven." "Sounds good. I'm going to use John Candy's toilet." It was a surreal experience. I have never met any of the Candys, let alone his daughter (we're the same age and apparently have some mutual acquaintances) and everyone I know who knows them in any capacity says they're awesome people and really honor his memory, too.
If you want some awesome John Candy stories, you should really read the tell-all book about SCTV by Dave Thomas. If I have a chance I'll type a few paraphrases up later.
To answer the thread title question, yeah, I absolutely do.
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