When I talked earlier about Hollywood's perception of Fat Guys, I mentioned how larger men were shrinking down for more serious roles. The first time I saw John Candy was in Uncle Buck. I think I remember seeing it first on TBS, probably around the time I was 8-9 years old or so. The infamous "unbreakable plate" was my first laugh at his genius. The more I think about Uncle Buck, the more I laugh. The drill scene at the party (shown above). His car that explodes out of the tailpipe. His quick one-liners are what really stayed with me. "What's tweedle-dinks name?...Bug...Bug?...First or last?...First....What's his last name spray?" Classic.
This scene, when Uncle Buck has to go to the Vice Principal's office to talk about Molly. Probably the funniest scene that to this day hasn't really been duplicated in another movie.
Now I don't want to stick with one movie to commemorate a man. He got a role as the Wally World security guard in Vacation, when Clark Griswold and the family show up and the park is closed. His role as Ox in the hilarious movie Stripes was great, too. He was a member of Second City, which is to this day, a popular Improv society for up and coming comedians and actors (Candy was part of Second City Toronto- along with Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short).
Candy's movie career exploded during the 1980's. He was among the comedic titans - Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, John Belushi, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase. Candy is the one who was only seemed to be able to deliver a serious speech while being a leading man in a comedy. It's hard to compare his presence to another performer's. Dan Aykroyd was in serious roles, but his comedy roles seemed a bit over the top.
Candy's last couple of roles are still some of the best family appropriate comedies: Cool Runnings, Rookie of the Year, and Canadian Bacon. His last film: Canadian Bacon, is one of those movies that you can laugh at whenever you want to remember some of the absurdity that was part of the Cold War. Directed by, and I'm not kidding, Michael Moore (yes, that Michael Moore),this movie makes me think of what Moore's career would've been had he made comedies over documentaries.
In Candy's final years, he had tried to keep his weight a private subject. He weighed in excess of 300 lbs, and had a family history of heart attacks. Trying to quit smoking, along with losing weight, Candy suffered a heart attack that was fatal. It was a sad end to a truly great comedian and actor.
Having a family history of illness and health defects is a hard truth to escape. Heart attacks, high blood pressure, and even addiction, are really hard to overcome when growing up and finding out your place in the world. It's hard to imagine John Candy living in a movie making world filled with body image issues and unbreakable habits. I can't see him having a social media account, instagramming his dinner, or slimming down with some trendy diet system. John Candy was and will always be a jolly funnyman who provided so much comedy and memories in cinema that are lacking nowadays. If you don't agree, you can take a dime, and go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing of your face! Good day to you Madam! (Uncle Buck quote...I couldn't help)
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