But Candy's breakthrough as a star comedian came in John Hughes' film Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Playing off Steve Martin, brilliant as the straight man, Candy was hilarious as the gregarious, unintentionally obnoxious salesman Del Griffith. It wasn't a great hit at the time, but in the years since it has grown into a comedy classic, one of those underrated gems that you must make your friends watch, even if they've already seen it.
Roger Ebert went so far as to dub the film a "Great Movie" in 2000, with a great review that really captures the charm of the film. My favorite Ebert quote comes when he describes Martin's explosive tirade against Candy:
Look at Candy's face fall. He shows Del as a man hurt and saddened — and not for the first time. Later he remembers how the most important person in his life once told him he was too eager to please, and shouldn't always try so hard.
At this point, Del wins our hearts, and the movie is set up as more than a comedy.
Then there is the inevitable heartbreak at the end of the film, where everything the two actors have been building finally pays off. It could be described as cheesy, and it would be cheesy in other circumstances, but Candy, Martin, and John Hughes manage to pull it off. It's a real shame that this film, and Candy's performance, weren't more appreciated during his lifetime.
This was the first of what I call John Candy's "big three" films, his greatest. The second was an under-appreciated comedy titled Who's Harry Crumb? This film hasn't received the late-blooming appreciation that Planes, Trains and Automobiles received, perhaps because it lacks the poignancy and melancholy of the former. Who's Harry Crumb? is just a comedy. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Candy steps outside of his normal comic range to play a private investigator who thinks he's much better than he is. Now, there have been about ten movies with that same premise that sucked. Who's Harry Crumb? is different because of a fine script, good direction (SCTV alum Joe Flaherty), a fine supporting cast (led by Jeffrey Jones, Shawnee Smith, and Annie Potts) and, of course, John Candy.
Article comments
1 - Walter Raab
Great and fitting tribute. Please give Only the Lonely another chance. Candy, Ally Sheedy and Jim Belushi are great and the movie has a fantastic supporting cast. One of my favorites!
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Moose outside should've told you.
3 - Al Barger
Second on the thumbs up for Only the Lonely. There was more heart and real personality than in most romantic comedies. Ally Sheedy and John Candy made a fine pair rather than the usual cookie cutter characters, and a much more thoughtful and memorable film than, say, Sleepless in Seattle.
4 - Aaron Whitehead
Thanks, guys. I will give Only the Lonely another try. Not only was I very young when I saw it, but I was probably expecting another Uncle Buck and was completely thrown by the different tone. I'll see if I can't find a copy sometime soon and add a comment with my reaction.
Matt -- I can't believe I forgot to mention Candy in Vacation. Candy, Chevy Chase and Eddie Bracken are just too much to handle in that last scene.
I also forgot the film Hot to Trot, a Bobcat Goldthwait vehicle with Candy as the voice of a talking horse. Surprisingly enough, it holds up pretty well today, mainly because of Candy and a HILARIOUS preformance by Dabney Coleman.
5 - Lisa McKay
Nice piece, Aaron, I'm a fan of Candy's work too and you've done a good job of capturing the essential sweetness at the core of his personality. You've made some good choices here (I'll confess to liking Uncle Buck more than most critics did, though), and your comments about Plains, Trains and Automobiles are spot on, it's a really enjoyable and heartfelt film.