Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks are making a John Candy documentary

Last week I finished the Welcome to Wrexham documentary about Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhanney buying a Welsh football club. I needed something else to watch. My feed randomly suggested I rewatch Life in Pieces, which stars Colin Hanks, so I did. And two days later, this tweet appears:


Naturally I think I manifested the whole thing. The reason John Candy was trending that day was because of the 4K re-release of Plane, Trains and Automobiles. And Ryan is nothing if not a brilliant marketer, so the timing of this announcement is perfect. It worked, we have almost no other information but most media outlets are carrying the story. Because John Candy is beloved in Hollywood. Not only was he a delight on screen, every person who met or worked with him adored him and misses him terribly. Which is why Ryan referenced the tears in his tweet, because honestly, anytime I see John’s friends talk about him, they get emotional, even 27 years after his passing.

And while I said we have almost no information, we do have one very important piece of information – Ryan and Colin have the full cooperation from the Candy estate on this. John’s son tweeted this:

And a rep for Ryan confirmed to People, “the Candy family is giving Maximum Effort access to his archive and home video footage.” How utterly refreshing to have a project people want made with the family’s permission. This isn’t the first time Ryan’s worked with John’s kids on something for their dad, either. They put together this small tribute for the 25th anniversary of his passing:

I did a very brief search and could not find any documentaries on John, which really surprised me. I only found a tribute to him and an E! True Hollywood Story. I’ll bet people line up for this one. Especially with Ryan and Colin’s star wattage.

Side-Note: I am kind of intrigued by Colin’s involvement only because his dad starred with John in Volunteers, which was the movie that broke up Colin’s parents marriage due to Tom and Rita Wilson’s affair. I know it’s all cool now, but it is an interesting connection, admit it.

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16 Responses to “Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks are making a John Candy documentary”

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  1. Gibby says:

    I’m excited to see this! I’ve been watching “Friend of the Family” and Colin Hanks is soooo good in it.

  2. MJM says:

    This is wonderful! I know Ryan will produce this with much love and respect for John.

  3. K says:

    I love this idea. His movies and performances are comedy genius. So happy to see TH is part of it!!

    • BeanieBean says:

      I had forgotten about how I so enjoyed John Candy movies! That clip had me in tears. Got some John Candy viewing to do this weekend.
      And I enjoyed Life in Pieces, that’s all I know Colin Hanks from.

      • JanetDR says:

        One of my favorite things from Life in Pieces is the expression the adult children would have when the mom referred to the dog as their brother. Exactly what my kids do 🤣🤣🤣 kind of blank with a hint of OMG.

  4. Becks1 says:

    Wrexham didn’t finish until this week! Wednesday was the finale.

    I’ve always been meh on Ryan Reynolds but after watching Wrexham I like him a lot more and I have always had a soft spot for John Candy, so this appeals to me.

  5. Well Wisher says:

    Looking forward to this. John was part owner of the Argos.

  6. smcollins says:

    I am so here for this. I LOVED John Candy growing up and was so sad when he passed away. You can feel Ryan’s admiration & love so I have no doubt this documentary is in good hands, and having the family’s support is the cherry on top.

    Fun fact: John Candy and Tom Hanks actually first costarred together as brothers in “Splash” in 1984 and, of course, John was fantastic in it!

    • Hecate says:

      OMGsh – thank you! I was trying to remember the video in which Eugene Levy got so emotional remembering John Candy all day yesterday, it was driving me crazy. You just reminded me – it was the Splash Reunited apart.

      Oh! And Ryan Reynolds appeared on that to do the tribute to John! (25:25 mark)

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbFIgQoHSJM

  7. Josephine says:

    Looking forward to this, and so happy they have the family consent. Uncle Buck remains one of my favorite movies! It really stands up.

  8. kgeo says:

    One of my all time favorite movies is Uncle Buck. I usually watch it around Christmas. I don’t even know if it’s on anyone else’s radar.

    • Nicole says:

      I love Uncle Buck. I grew up watching it any time it was on cable. My dad was a Belushi, Candy, Chase stan.

  9. og bella says:

    I’ve always been meh on many male comedic actors throughout my life (I’m mid-50s) that most people seem to love. I mean, some of them I liked a little or liked in a specific role, but over all, meh.

    John Candy was one of the few that I genuinely liked and watched everything he did. I will definitely watch this.

  10. Deens says:

    Uncle Buck is an all-time favorite, as well as The Great Outdoors with Dan Ackroyd and Annette Benning, where he eats the ‘96er.

    I remember reading that John Hughes never got over John Candy’s death, it broke his heart.

  11. Wen M 🇨🇦 says:

    John Candy was and is a true treasure! Enjoyed every movie he was in! I remember the day they announced he had passed. 🇨🇦 Wept . Ryan and Colin introduce him to more movie goers please. He was one of the good ones♥️🍁