21. I Like Me: Chris Candy on Uncle Buck, Home Alone & the Dad Behind the Legend

This week, we got DIBS on Chris Candy, actor, musician, and executive producer of the new Amazon Prime documentary John Candy: I Like Me. From Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to Uncle Buck to Home Alone, John Candy helped define Chicago on screen for a generation. Now, his son Chris is pulling back the curtain on the man behind the roles: the working actor, the dad, and the human being who was as generous off-camera as he was hilarious on-camera.Set against the backdrop of the holidays, when John Candy movies are basically required viewing in Chicago, this conversation dives into grief, legacy, and what it means to share a parent with the world. Chris talks candidly about losing his dad at just eight years old, why the family waited three decades to make a documentary, and how I Like Me became his way of both honoring and finally processing that loss.If you grew up on John Candy movies, love Chicago holiday classics, or are navigating your own “Dead Dad Club” grief, this one’s going to hit you right in the feelings.In this episode, we cover:How John Candy: I Like Me came to life, from early ideas to teaming up with Colin Hanks and Ryan ReynoldsWhy the Candy family saw this as the definitive documentary and decided now was the right timeWhat it was like for Chris to grieve in public and privately at the same timeThe emotional weight of revisiting his dad’s life through old footage, friends’ stories, and fan memoriesMacaulay Culkin’s powerful recollection of working with John on Uncle Buck and how John treated kids on setThe Chicago DNA running through John’s most iconic roles and why the city still feels like “America in one place”How comedy, kindness, and vulnerability can all coexist in one personWhat Chris hopes people remember about his dad after watching the filmThe strange, tender camaraderie of the “dead dads’ club” and why talking about grief mattersWhy John Candy felt like someone audiences could trust, especially kids watching him on screenAbout John Candy: I Like MeJohn Candy: I Like Me is an intimate look at the beloved actor’s life, career, and inner world, from his early days on SCTV to Hollywood stardom. Featuring interviews with friends, collaborators, and family, the film explores not just the characters we love but also the man who played them and the son still learning who his father was.Listen now and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment; it helps us continue to bring you the voices behind the institutions, people, and places that make Chicago extraordinary.Connect with the hosts of DIBS on Instagram Nick Sarantos and Mallory Waxman