The 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off with a heartfelt homage to one of Canada’s most beloved comedy icons, the late John Candy, per deadline.com. The star-studded opening night at the Princess of Wales Theatre debuted the documentary, John Candy: I Like Me, produced by Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds and directed by Colin Hanks.
Reynolds, who was clad in a maple-leaf T-shirt, called Candy “the greatest, most beautiful man that I never met.” He spoke passionately about his long-standing obsession with the SCTV and Hollywood legend, whose legacy, he said, was about “togetherness and bringing people together in beautiful ways.”
Hanks echoed this sentiment, telling the cheering audience that Toronto was the ideal place to premiere the film, given Candy’s deep Canadian roots.
The film’s title, I Like Me, is a nod to a memorable line from the classic film, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, a moment Reynolds celebrated by joking about the infamous Chrysler LeBaron from the movie. The documentary also features a new version of the song “Every Time You Go Away,” rerecorded by Cynthia Erivo, which Reynolds praised as “one of the most beautiful versions I’ve ever heard.”
