John Candy’s kids are keeping the laughs alive, and they’re not doing it alone.
More than 30 years after their father’s passing, Chris Candy and Jennifer Candy-Sullivan have teamed up with Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks for “John Candy: I Like Me,” a heartfelt new documentary honoring the late comedian’s legacy.
The newly released film, which was produced by Reynolds’ Maximum Effort in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios and directed by Hanks, dives into Candy’s rise from “SCTV” standout to beloved big-screen icon, while offering a deeply personal look at the man behind the laughter.
For Chris and Jennifer, who served as co-executive producers on the doc, the project isn’t just a tribute to their dad’s career but a chance to finally share a side of him that the world never got to see.
“It’s great,” Chris, 41, told The Post. “Ryan is a really big fan of our dad’s, and he’s just got a creative vision in regards to who he wants to work with, and he really helped get Colin on board for this. So that helped shape all of this.”
But what initially began as just a viral moment quickly turned into something much bigger.
“It was really Ryan that found, a year before we even got started with all of this, a social media video that kind of highlighted all of our dad’s movies that went viral,” Chris, who was just 9 when his father passed away from a heart attack in March 1994, explained.
“That’s really where it started,” he shared. “Then Colin is just such a skilled documentary filmmaker that he was perfect for the job.”
Jennifer, meanwhile, added that Hanks brought exactly the right touch to the project that was years in the making.
“He came in and worked his magic,” Jennifer, 45, told The Post. “We knew that it was in good hands once we knew that Colin was on board and wanted to be a part of this and go on this journey with us. It was an honor to work with both of them.“
As for Reynolds and Hanks, they opened up about “I Like Me” and what inspired them to create the touching documentary during a Q&A session tied to the project’s Oct. 10 release on Prime Video.
“There are so many reasons, but I think the primary one is that John informed so much of my own work and perspective,” Reynolds, 48, explained.
“I would characterize myself as something of a super fan,” he continued. “I know how it made me feel when he passed in ‘94. I think that was the first time it hit me really hard when a celebrity, someone who was larger than life, passed away.”
Hanks, whose father is “Splash” star Tom Hanks, added that he and Reynolds set out to “evoke” and “create” something that was “much more personal to John’s life off-camera.”
“He left us so young, 43, which is staggering now when you think about it,” the “Fargo” star, 47, said. “All these years later, many people still have such wonderful feelings associated with watching a John Candy film.”
“I also hope people will realize that you can still recapture those feelings when you see his films now,” he shared. “They are still just as present.”
Of course, the film also features an impressive roster of stars who knew and loved Candy, from comedic contemporaries like Billy Murray, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy to newer admirers including “Uncle Buck” star Macaulay Culkin, Reynolds and Hanks.
“I Like Me,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, shows how many of those friendships have lasted, and how Candy’s old pals still keep in touch with the late funnyman’s family more than three decades after his sad passing.
“They’re always in our orbit,” Chris shared. “Macaulay [Culkin] is kind of new. Jen was on his podcast not too long ago. But we bump into Marty [Short] or Eugene [Levy], and they’re in the ecosystem of our lives for sure.“
“It’s one of those things where we might not see them on a day-to-day basis, but when we do see them, we don’t skip a beat,” Jennifer, who was 14 when her dad passed away, added.
“It can go years,” she continued, “but we still connect and we’re still super close with a majority of them, even though we don’t see them on a day-to-day basis or we’re not hanging out every day.“
“They all collectively help us,” Chris concluded. “We’re still mixed in a really nice way. So whenever we do get to connect, it’s really special.“
“John Candy: I Like Me” is now streaming on Prime Video.
