'John Candy, I Like Me' reveals the man behind the movies
NEW YORK (WABC) -- From Freddie Bauer in "Splash," to the unforgettable "Uncle Buck, the heartbreaking Del Griffith in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," and Gus Polinski, the polka king of the Midwest in "Home Alone," John Candy created characters and family.
They were all people we've known or wished we did.
But behind the laughter, there was a story we didn't know.
"If you go a whole lifetime eating your feelings, drinking your feelings, smoking your nerves, it shows up," said Chris Candy, John Candy's son.
Now a new documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds reveals the man behind the movies. It's called "John Candy, I Like Me." His children, Chris and Jennifer, are executive producers.
"It's just a new appreciation for what, you know, who our dad was," Jennifer said.
"After he passed away, like, he was more or less, like, not with us except for his movies. Putting this all together, like, there's this new entry into his work," Chris said.
"Colin was on the top of the list of people that directed, and he, absolutely took it because he had a little tethered connection to us."
The documentary features never before seen home videos, intimate family moments, and the personal truths behind the public persona.
"Our dad was, you know, a regular dad. He went to work. He, came home, birthday parties, events," Jennifer said. "You don't see what your dad does, you know, at work every day. So, this kind of was like a glimpse of, oh, wow. This is what he dealt with every day as opposed to what he let on that he dealt with every day."
"I just loved, learning and hearing from Conan O'Brien exactly what that story was. I'm going to know that from my dad was into Conan, and then Conan's impact is into my comedy. It was such a cool little connection," Chris said.
It also features candid conversations with comedy legends like Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Catherine O'Hara, and Martin Short.
"I remember John caring when the not a lot of people did," Macaulay Culkin said.
They all shared the memories, the moments, and the magic of working with John Candy.
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