I Like Me Ending Explained: The Truth Behind John Candy's Final Days

Prime Video just dropped a John Candy documentary, and it sneaks up on you. It is affectionate, sometimes a bit hands-off, and then out of nowhere it lands a gut punch: a clear, intimate account of his final night.

What the doc is

It is called 'John Candy: I Like Me' — a nod to his legendary 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' moment — and it is put together by Colin Hanks. It plays like a warm look back at a beloved guy, even if it keeps a respectful distance at times.

The rough Wagons East! shoot

The film digs into the final stretch of Candy's life, when he was shooting 'Wagons East!' in Durango, Mexico. Don Lake, a close friend and co-star, lays out how tough that production was: far from home, brutal heat, jokes that were not landing, and a general sense of creative frustration. Candy was already battling anxiety and did not want to slow the production down by talking about it. According to the doc, his anxiety really kicked in around 1991, and by the time he was in Durango, it had escalated to panic attacks. He missed his family, he was agitated, and he was trying to get his health in order.

He had struggled with his weight and alcohol for years and was trying to turn the ship around. He even brought a nutritionist to set. It barely helped. Family, friends, and fans were worried. And then the worst happened.

How John Candy died

Candy was 43 when he died of a heart attack in Durango. Fans know that part. What they probably do not know is how he was found. Don Lake shares the moment in the doc:

'I think it was like 2:30 in the morning. He was all alone in a big cowboy house. And then, when I heard how they found him, it looked like he sat up on the side of the bed, opened up the Bible, was reading from it, and just passed away on the bed.'

Lake also says one thing stuck with him after hearing that:

'I remember thinking how he was trying to find home.'

The weight he was carrying

This is where the documentary gets quietly devastating. Candy had been haunted by his dad's death — his father died at 35, on Candy's fifth birthday. Colin Hanks says Candy felt like he was living on borrowed time. Between the health issues, a heart condition, and relentless anxiety, the pressure of being John Candy did not help.

Rose's dream

The doc also spends time with Candy's wife, Rosemary Margaret Hobor, who was with him to the end. She describes a dream she had just before he died:

'We were outside a door, and I was with Jennifer and Christopher. And John had died in the other room.'

It mirrors what their family was living with in those last years: the fear that his health — made worse by drinking and smoking — was catching up with him. He took care of everyone around him, but he fought his demons mostly on his own. He tried therapy. Things still got worse. Decades later, the grief has not really faded, which says a lot about the impact he had on people who knew him and people who only knew the work.

What the doc adds, in plain terms

• Prime Video's 'John Candy: I Like Me' (from Colin Hanks) is an affectionate, sometimes impersonal portrait that delivers new, intimate detail about his final night.
• 'Wagons East!' in Durango was a rough, hot, creatively frustrating shoot far from home; Candy hid worsening anxiety (dating back to 1991) to avoid delaying production.
• He was 43 and died of a heart attack in Durango; Don Lake says he was found around 2:30 a.m., alone, having sat up, opened a Bible, and passed away in bed.
• He carried lifelong fear after his father died at 35 on his fifth birthday; Hanks says Candy felt he was living on borrowed time amid health issues and anxiety.
• His wife, Rosemary, recalls a chilling dream just before his death involving their kids, Jennifer and Christopher, and John in the next room.
• Weight, drinking, and smoking compounded things; despite therapy and bringing a nutritionist to set, his condition worsened.

Bottom line

It is a warm remembrance with a few tough truths, and it ends up feeling deeply human. If you have not watched it yet, consider this your nudge. 'John Candy: I Like Me' is now streaming on Prime Video.