It’s hard to believe that John Candy has been dead for 20 years. On March 4th of last week, the 20th anniversary of his death passed by all of us. Since John Candy was one of my favorite comedy movie heroes growing up as a child, I would be remiss not to spend at least one Your Smart Money Moves articles talking about my five favorite all time movies that he starred in or had a guest appearance. I suppose I could tie in a cheap Saturday night or Sunday afternoon by camping out in your house and watching a double feature with some $1 box candy and some microwave popcorn, but I just flat out think that John Candy was awesome.
- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles- Of all the John Candy movies I love, this has got to take the top spot. The scene of he and Steve Martin going the wrong way on the highway and John Candy saying to Steve Martin, “How would they know which way they are going?” is simply classic. And by the way, those aren’t pillows!!
- Stripes- “My name is Dewey Oxburger and you might have noticed that I have a slight overweight problem.” Dewey goes on to tell the cast of characters that he swallows a lot of aggression along with a lot of pizzas. Of course, the mud wrestling scene is hilarious when Bill Murray gets Dewey in the ring for $413.58.
- Spaceballs (The Movie)- This is one of my personal favorite comedy movies, but John Candy’s role as sidekick Barf is truly hysterical. What is Barf? Well he is a Mog. Half man, half dog, and he’s his own best friend. The movie reminds you that the only thing worse in intergalactic space than meeting Jabba The Hut is getting a stare you down video from the ever dangerous Pizza The Hut.
- National Lampoon’s Vacation- Now I know that John Candy really only had a minor role in this movie, but how could I not include this classic. Watching John Candy and the zany Chevy Chase led family going on all the rides at Wally World is definitely a classic.
- Uncle Buck- At the height of his comedy move career, seeing John Candy going toe to toe with McCaulay Culkin at the breakfast table is incredibly funny. This movie gave me a different viewpoint on how to making the breakfast pancakes, but also showed a little bit of the serious side of acting that John Candy could do on the big screen.
I’m sure that I missed one or two of your epic John Candy movies, so chime in and tell me that Uncle Buck didn’t put you in stitches? What was your personal favorite John Candy flick?
Written by:
Ted Jenkin
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