John Candy’s last film was in Michael Moore’s only feature film

Larger than life John Candy paired with an innovative liberal documentary Michael Moore may not be what audiences expected. But in 1995, Candy starred in Moore’s only feature film: Canadian bacon: a satirical look at national identity, American-Canadian relations and the sheer ridiculousness of war. It’s reminiscent of the 1980s Airplane – silly, stupid and yet perceptive.

Where Moore is typically known for culturally significant documentaries that use journalistic techniques such as: Fahrenheit 9/11 And Bowling for Columbine, Canadian bacon is a scripted narrative with characters. The film features, among others, comedic heavyweights Rhea Perlman, Rip Torn, Dan Aykroyd, Alan Alda, Wallace Shawn and Jim Belushi, especially Candy. Unfortunately, Canadian bacon was intended to be the last film Candy ever completed; He died during production Wagons East in 1994.

Before Canadian Bacon, John Candy was the king of kindness

Canadian bacon

Release date

June 8, 1995

director

Michael Moore

Pour

Alan Alda, John Candy, Rhea Perlman, Kevin Pollak, Rip Torn, Kevin J. O’Connor, Bill Nunn, GD Spradlin, Jim Belushi, Steven Wright, Brad Sullivan, Stanley Anderson, Richard Council, Wallace Shawn, Michael Copeman, Beth Amos, Bruce Hunter, Jack Mather, Kenner Ames, Roger Dunn, Natalie Rose, Matt Cook, Barbara Schroeder, Tara Meyer, Fab Filippo

Duration

91 minutes

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John Candy suffered from extreme anxiety but managed to excel in comedy roles in the late ’80s with his vulnerable and endearing style. In the 1987s Planes, trains and automobilesHe played Del Griffith, a character who infuriates his accidental traveling companion Neal Page (Steve Martin). But Candy’s ability to bring a childlike innocence to Del ultimately wins Neal over.

There are more travel-based narratives in one of the most famous Christmas films of all time: Home alone. Here too, Candy lets kindness shine through even in a surprisingly small role, playing the good Samaritan Gus Polinski, who brings Kate McCalister (Catherine O’Hara) home to her son. That wasn’t the only John Hughes film that Candy was involved with Uncle Buck remains a sweet crowd favorite.

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Previously Canadian bacon In 1993, Candy played against Irv Blitzer, coach of the first Jamaican bobsleigh team Cool running. And similar to Candy’s other key characters, Blitzer is authentically good-natured and doesn’t try to hide his flaws. In the place of Canadian bacon, where he plays Sheriff Bud Boomer, Candy mastered his craft and was known for his likable comedic roles.

Michael Moore ventures into fictional filmmaking

Director Michael Moore isn’t afraid of controversy. He examines sociopolitical issues with a furious sense of social injustice, and his themes are therefore bold: health care, gun control, capitalism, terrorism. Although Moore has journalistic tendencies, some claim his work is biased against his own liberal beliefs about America. However, his storytelling ability, as well as Candy’s acting chops, ensure that the documentaries he creates are compassionate and compelling, no matter where people’s loyalties lie.

In 1989, Moore released his first documentary, Rodger and melooking at the economic decline in Flint, Michigan, following the closure of several General Motors plants, leaving lives devastated by massive job losses. Canadian bacon followed not long after and drew parallels Rodger and me with the story of Hacker Dynamics, a weapons factory that closes down, leaving many unemployed.

In 2014, Moore told Indiwire, “Why do American audiences say, ‘I love nonfiction and I love nonfiction television—but there’s no way you’re dragging me into a nonfiction film!'” Maybe Canadian bacon was his way of conveying his truths in a more accessible way through film.

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What is Canadian bacon about?

When RJ Hacker (GD Spradlin) closes his factory in Niagra Falls, he blames the American President (Alan Alda), whose ratings are plummeting. To bolster them, presidential advisor Stu Smiley (Kevin Pollak) sees the opportunity to create a fictional war threat following a fight between Bud Boomer and Canadian hockey fans. American television networks begin broadcasting anti-Canadian propaganda, which encourages Boomer and his friends to litter on Canadian soil. Boomer’s wife, the live-wire Honey (Rhea Perlman), is left behind, prompting Boomer and his pals to rescue her.

John Candy is remembered by his children on the 26th anniversary of his death

John Candy’s children, Jennifer and Chris Candy, are paying tribute to their late father on the 26th anniversary of his death.

Hacker develops a program, Hacker Hellstorm, that can fire missiles out of a sense of injustice. The President discovers that the signals directed at Moscow are coming from Canada. Desperate to save his reputation, he learns that hackers can sell him a program to stop the launch for a trillion dollars. Smiley realizes that Hacker is the one controlling the missiles and accidentally kills him while trying to steal the launch codes. The president believes he is a criminal mastermind and orders Smiley’s arrest.

The clock is ticking as Honey escapes her captors. When she finds the computer that controls the missiles, she destroys it with a machine gun just in time. Boomer and his search party find Honey, and their comedic misadventure culminates in a safe return to America.

The message and legacy of Canadian Bacon

Canadian bacon pokes fun at Canadian and American culture and stereotypes, portraying Canadians as overly polite and too gentle and Americans as ignorant and with little geographical knowledge outside their own borders. It also shows how locals can become blinded by patriotism and become incredibly hostile or even xenophobic towards a perceived foreign threat. Politically, the film shows the government’s corruption and how it can manipulate the public’s fears by using the media to its own advantage.

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Overall, the film was a flop, with jokes that others not from America or Canada might not fully understand. But for some fans, it’s the go-to place for a good laugh. Steve Drice reviews: “Canadian bacon is not a work of art, but it is an incredibly funny and amusing satire of American (and Canadian!) life in the 90s.” After almost 30 years, Candy and Moore now seem to have done an excellent job Canadian bacon It achieved cult status and triggered a wave of nostalgia. Canadian bacon can be streamed for free on Tubi and Pluto TV as well as on YouTube via the following link:

Watch Canadian Bacon