Top 5 John Candy Films

John Candy: the horizontally-generous Mr Lovable who tickled the funny bone with one hand and plucked the heart strings with the other.

Oh, if only the oscar squad dropped their staunch anti-comedy regime.

1. Uncle Buck

Role: All round slob and lovable lug who is burdened with babysitting duties. Cue a full circle of domestic chaos, unorthodox parenting and teenage stropiness.

Crowning thespian moment: The psychotic stone-cold moments with sleazeball Bug.




2. Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Another little number by John Hughes. This time he set aside the high school dramas and spawned a life and strife comedy melodrama that struck on the finer chords of cinema goers.


Role: Slobbish, so-optimistic-it-hurts, accident-prone, loveable curtain ring salesman and the ying to Steve Martin’s tightly wound yang.

Crowning thespian moment: Steve Martin busts his fuse and spews out insults at John Candy. After a short silence John spurts out his feelings point blank. The tear-welled up eyes and understated acting is enough to melt the heart of an artichoke.

3. Stripes

Role: Chirpy loveable goofball army recruit who is donning the khaki to fight the flab and sidestep aggression courses.

Crowning thespian moment: The bunk poker game. Candy smooth talks a fellow recruit into dishing out the dollars.
Mr Vegas indeed.

4. Canadian Bacon

Michael Moore's political comedy about the american-canadian relations has grown on me like a fungus on a damp surface. Whether it rubs you in the right or wrong places depends mostly on your views of the land of stars and stripes. As with any political satire I'd prescribe watching it with a pinch of lightheartedness and not going out on a one-man personal crusade to be insulated by the content.

5. Spaceballs
Role: A spaceship residing half human-half dog. Beat that Al Pacino.