The Legend John Candy

The bumbling detective comedy archetype is one of my personal favorites and some of my favorites include Johnny English, The Pink Panther, Inspector Gadget, and of course this movie. It's hillarious and there are lot of great physical comedy moments, as well as seeing Harry (John's character) try out various disguises.

John doesn't have a starring part in this but his character in this is actually pretty charming and funny. Of course it's an extremely memorable Christmas classic so I can't say anything else about this other than how awesome it is. But I can offer you an interesting sidenote, this was the last time that John would be in a movie made by John Hughes, there were plans of another movie which believe it or not would have starred him and Sylvester Stallone as neighbours that are constantly fighting with eachother (Sly was going to be the comedic lead and John was going to be the nerdy next door neighbour), but the idea was scraped after John's death - and Stallone went on to do Cliffhanger. This movie is a classic and really...who hasn't sat down and watched this movie?

John Candy and Eugene Levy truly were the best of pals and this movie just proofs it, this movie is a very hillarious buddy cop comedy and these two have great chemistry together -and play off eachother extremely well.

The second pairing of him and Tom Hanks is particularly funny and has some very interesting scenes, the brainwashing scene always cracks me up.

I know i'm sort of cheating on this one since he's technically not the star of the movie (that would be Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, and not forgetting Audrey II) but I really enjoyed his performance as the radio DJ in this. I bet he was having a lot of fun in this especially coming up with the lines, I can just imagine how much fun it was for him making those scenes.

This one is severely underrated and has quite a lot of funny moments, and John gives one of his most likable performances yet. And it actually has a lot of heart in it, and there's a lot of great chemistry between him and the two actresses.

I have a really big soft spot for this movie, and it's not just because it's a John Hughes movie but also because of the characters and because this movie was one of the first John Candy movies I ever got out on dvd - in fact, a Canadian friend of mine reccomended this movie to me. I just love how John and Dan act towards eachother in this movie, they're like two bickering brothers - always fighting with one another but eventually the two of them learn to get around (sort of like with Buzz and Woody in the first Toy Story movie). And there's a lot of hillarious moments in this movie, as well as sentimental moments too.

Much like Delirious, this one is very underrated and it's one of the funniest movies i've ever seen of his. It's a playful take on those murder mystery tales except of murder it involves a dog getting stolen and John's character Augie Morosco is an addicted gambler and one of many subjects involved in the case, and it's hillarious from start to finish. For a first attempt at directing, Eugene Levy actually does quite well with this one. Plus there's a very clever Rocky reference in one scene.

This one often gets bashed by critics because of how strange it is, but the point is it is supposed to be weird. It's a black comedy, it's supposed to be kooky and weird - it doesn't have to make sense for you to enjoy it, as it's actually quite funny and the makeup and set designs are brilliant. Dan Akyroyd plays two characters as does John in this one, and one of those two is mute and a woman.

Much like Little Shop Of Horrors, this isn't one in which John actually stars in but his character serves as an important part of the plot, as in the Blues Brothers book it's revealed that he's the parole officer who gets Jake out of jail although i'm not sure if was ever brought up in the movie, but his performance is rather memorable and not to mention funny (there's not a single person who hasn't quoted lines from this movie at least more than once). It's worth noting that this is one of Doug Walker's favorite comedies (and as an added bonus, he comes from Chicago which is where the movie takes place). I actually got inspired by this movie to do my own Blues Brothers spinoff stories, and even once made a dessert recipe named in honour of the "orange whip" scene from the movie.

This one is a good example of a parody done right as it's not only very funny but also entertaining in general, I'm secretly a bit of a Star Wars fanatic and the first Star Wars movie I watched in theatres was Return Of The Jedi (Jabba is one of my personal favorite non-human characters in the series), and this movie delivers extremely well. Like Blues Brothers, this is also on Doug Walker's list of favorite comedies (he likes it because of the bad guys) and like him I also like it for the jokes and the characters but as well as the villains, I love the main characters too. Especially Barfomolew the mog (which is one of my favorite roles of his), and as a matter of fact that's where the werejohncandy concept came over - this character. There's an animated series based on it now, and oddily enough before I knew there would be animated series of it, my friends and I came up with our own little sequels or spinoffs - including one that parodies the new Star Wars trilogy (there was even a Jar Jar parody we came up with called Blah Blah Never-Thinks), and we often quote the movie and reference in on a regular basis.

So this movie was a big influence on me. It's a pitty we don't have parodies like this anymore, instead we're stuck with Seltzer and Friedberg.

Normally I despise anything with Tom Hanks in it (mainly because I find him kind of bland, sure he's a great dramatic actor but he tends to kind of play the same guy over and over), but this movie I can tolerate him in. But it's John that really steals the show here as the older brother of Tom's character and he really does great in the part, and he's the kind of older bro that you wish could have around to cheer you up.

A post-humorous release, I know since it came out after his death - but it's still good.

This one would be higher up on the list but it's still one of my favorites and a wonderful holiday movie. It's hard not to love this movie or it's characters, especially Del - Del's the kind of guy you wish was your best pal, he's like Donkey from Shrek minus the annoyance factor. He's just so lovable and you can't help but feel sorry for this guy. And who hasn't had one of those days were nothing goes right? Everyone has one of those days and those who have seen this movie probably agree or identify with this one. The chemistry between the two guys is great and I love it when the two of them argue in the hotel and Del gives this speech..."You want to hurt me? Go on ahead if it makes you feel any better. I'm an easy target. Yeah you're right, I talk too much, I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hard cynic like you, but i don't like to hurt peoples feelings. Well you think what you like about me, but me..i'm not changing. I like me. My wife likes me, my customers like me. Because i'm the real article - what you see is what you get."

If you weren't getting all teary eyed after this, you must have had a swirling black hole in the place of where your heart should be or a robot. This movie is a must-see and one of the first John Candy/John Hughes pairings on film. If you haven't seen this movie, watch it - because it's the real article, what you see is what you get.

An underrated 80's John Candy comedy, I love the chemistry between him and Richard Pryor, the two make a great comedic duo.

My second favorite John Candy movie and one of my personal favorite live action Disney movies next to the live action 101 Dalmations, this sports movie is actually based on the true story of a Jamaican bobsled team that entered the olmpyics in the late 80's and came in second place. It's got a lot of funny scenes and a lot of heart to it too and Irv Blitzer is a very belivable character, because John proves in this that he can be both comedic and dramatic (which is something most comedians-turned-dramatic-actors can't do without falling victim to the Tom Hanks Syndrome trope) and it's a very brilliant performance, his speech to the main character about winning near the end - just brings a tear to my eye.

this movie is actually one of my personal favorites and since I first watched I have enjoyed it. John plays a serious part in this rather than a comedic part but still with a certain charm and likability to it, the supporting cast is also wonderful and so is the mother (she's right up there with the mom from Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot. Yes, I actually like that movie). And it's very light-hearted and also very tearjerking in some parts. This movie is also a must-see for John Candy fans.

I like it even better than the first movie, it's breathtaking and not to mention Wilbur is one of the funniest Disney sidekicks ever.

Do I have to say anything about Stripes? It's a classic and instantly quotable, plus Ox is a very lovable character we can also relate to.

The third John Hughes/John Candy outing and one of the most memorable movies ever, this is my number 1 favorite John Candy movie ever - it has a lot of great lines, it's both funny and serious, and has some very tearjerking and heartwarming moments. John gives his most lovable performance in this and it shows, his character Buck is the kind of relative we wish we all had, sure he's a slob - but he's very good at taking care of the kids and looking out for them - plus he's one hell of a chef. And he's also pretty badass near the end, especially after he finds out what his oldest nieces's boyfriend is really up to. That scene with the drill is badass personified. Plus as a side-note, I have a friend in real life who actually acts as a female version of the Uncle Buck character (sometimes when her two sons refuse to cooperate, she actually does the whole "i'll-drive-you-to-school-in-my-robe-and-pajamas-and-walk-you-to-your-first-class" thing as sort of a threat, which in itself makes her one badass mother), and interestingly enough, one of the other recipes for my cook book which I did was a pancake recipe inspired by the breakfast scene from the movie, in fact my friends actually DID reference the movie while it was being made. It's my personal favorite John Candy movie and it always will be. Also on Youtube there are quite fake trailers they've done, quite a few which have them redit the movie trailer to make it look like it's a horror film, there's a fake sequel trailer as well.

If you haven't seen it or gotten the chance to you really should. Or do you really want to know what it feels like to have your crazy-out-of-work bum uncle shave your head while you're sleeping?