Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming documentary John Candy: I Like Me, releasing October 10, 2025, is both a love letter and a revelation. Directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, two lifelong John Candy admirers, the film revisits the life of the legendary comedian whose warmth and humor defined an era of cinema. From his early days on SCTV in his native Canada to unforgettable roles in classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, and Cool Runnings, the documentary paints a vivid portrait of a man whose on-screen laughter often masked the quieter struggles behind it.
What sets I Like Me apart from the usual biographical tribute is its intimacy. Hanks and Reynolds draw from never-before-seen home videos and personal archives, bringing Candy’s off-screen life into focus, his devotion as a husband, his pride as a father, and his constant effort to balance Hollywood expectations with his own sense of decency.
The film includes recollections from family, close friends, and collaborators who share stories that go beyond the fame: the generosity on set, the nervousness before big scenes, and the deep kindness that earned him respect across generations.
The title, I Like Me, comes from Candy’s most iconic line in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, “I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me.” It’s a line that perfectly captures the sincerity of the man himself: a performer who, beneath the slapstick and self-deprecation, radiated genuine humanity.
As the documentary unfolds, it becomes less about celebrity and more about connection, how Candy’s humor wasn’t just entertainment, but empathy in motion.
Produced by a team including Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, George Dewey, and Shane Reid, John Candy: I Like Me feels like an act of gratitude, a chance to remember the man who made audiences laugh, cry, and feel seen. In a world often obsessed with reinvention, the film reminds us why John Candy’s legacy endures: because kindness and comedy, when paired together, never go out of style.
