John Candy; The Life of : Laughing on the Outside

by Martin Knelman

The biography of late comedy star John Candy profiles how, despite being plagued by anxiety and self-doubt, the actor-comedian became a popular leading man and describes how Candy lost millions to a con man. 10,000 first printing."

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Comedy, Canada

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Frank Acomb · Rating 1 out of 5]

When this book came out I was around 13 years old and I remembered that I was so disappointed in it I wrote a letter to the author asking why he would write a book about the great John Candy if he hated all the projects Candy was involved in. I decided to give it another read 20 some years later to see if my 13 year old self was to hard on him. Turns out I wasnt. I dont know who the author dislikes more John Candy or John Hughes. I also get the impression that Mr. Knelman feels that he could have done Candy's movies better and funnier. Very disappointing book if you are a fan of John Candy not worth the read

[Joshua Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be called SCTV and Hollywood business featuring John Candy. The book doesn't seem to speak too much about. John Candy as ones biography tends to do. I learned more about the people John Candy surrounded himself with then John Candy himself. Everything that was written about John Candy could have been summed up in one chapter. I finished the book because I'm stubborn. I was overall disappointed in the biography.

[C. (Comment, don't blank click reviews). · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Laughing On The Outside: The Life Of John Candy” 1996, was published two years after we lost John. This is my Mom’s book, which I planned to read, long before his children produced a documentary. How amazing that Hallowe’en 2025 was his 75th birthday. I revere our fellow Canadian and unforgettable actor.

The lowest star is for Martin Knelman. I call his output not a biography but a dry, disapproving essay. I feel the respectful thing to do, is wait for family or friends to write. If nothing is forthcoming, interview people for a personal portrait. Outsiders certainly need to go by other people’s notes but this was an excessive, dictionary like, breakdown of career steps; to which Martin added cringingly critical opinions. They are:

He thought the height of John’s improv genius was on Big City Comedy and Second City, which he should have done perpetually.

I say, evolve!

He thought John felt low every time a project was not a blockbuster.

I say, actors are over the moon to be in their first films and are not thinking of the big time!

He thought that John did not get over losing his Dad at age 5 and was destined to be depressed, unless everything he touched was a hit.

I say, what exaggerated fatalism!

He thought John would be alive if his fitness had been healthy.

I say, the same for everyone, Sherlock.

The title and tone of this dry, disapproving essay, shows the journalist flattering himself with the notion of issuing a grand revelation: Gasp, John was sometimes frustrated or angry!

Dude, no one is constantly calm and happy. It is not a “dark side”: it is natural!

This guy hated the films most audiences love and dubbed John Hughes juvenile. I will avoid anything Martin writes.

[Gloria Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the early days of the internet (1996) social networking consisted of mailing lists and newsgroups. I corresponded with Dave Thomas on the SCTV newsgroup after I had purchased this book, and he said that the book was inaccurate and a disgrace to his friend John Candy's memory, and that many of the SCTV alumni felt the same way.

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was lucky to see Candy on stage when the Toronto Second City troupe changed places with the Chicago troupe for a few weeks in 1974. Little did I know I'd be seeing most of that cast (Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin) on SCTV and SNL in a year or so. Candy himself was a standout. He was a great improv artist and a great character actor but I don't think anyone realistically expected him to be leading man material. Knelman's biography never seemed to get comfortable with its subject and the opening scene with Candy's football project seemed to set things off on the wrong foot. Others have complained about the 'movie review' and 'Second City history' of it and I'd have to agree, although I enjoyed the Second City and SCTV information, especially the origin of the Guy Caballero skits. But the tone of this book was awkward. It seemed to have a dark edge from the outset and was never a comfortable read. A look at the sources (interviews) is revealing in that so many expected names are missing.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the hardcover edition of this book. Unfortunately the Goodreads page count is wrong for this edition. I enjoyed the book as John Candy is, was, and likely always will be one of my favorite actors. John's story is exciting and at the same time sad. All of us have failings and weaknesses. Mr. Candy's were exacerbated by his fame, success and workaholic type work ethic. I enjoyed getting to know more about him.

One criticism I have about the book lies in the approach to discussing the movies and TV appearances of John Candy. The author is a film critic and his approach has confirmed an observation I made in early adulthood. I never pick a movie to see or not see based on what the critics opinions. Invariably if they do not like a movie I enjoy it immensely. No different here. Mr. Knelman would have us believe that most of the movies Candy was in were dogs. However, many of those movies that were supposedly not good are my favorites.

[Warbotter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liking John Candy seems to be secondary to this book, So lot of fans are gonna be miffed. He explores it all, the shakey movie career, The argonauts disaster ,weight issues and how he'd freeze out friends for some sort of slight only Candy felt...But yea still like JOHN! because even his darker side was brighter than most sunny. And that shines [excuse the pun] through. Like the Author or not, I felt this had more to say about the man than any book I read with him in it and just wasn't a love fest that trips over itself to say how funny "Uncle Buck was" . It's not a happy tale [But why are you looking for one in a man who dies at 42] But it feels like he was trying to get it right. Yes, often he is not a fan of the movies, But lot of Candy's flicks became cult classics and seemed like middling failures at the time. so I cut slack on it. In closing. this Candy felt like a person and not just some totem of comedy to bow too.

[Wes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative and pleasurable to read. It was more than just a synopsis of Candy and the things he did. Instead, the author goes into a lot of details about what is going on around Candy. It is great to learn more about the movies and other involvements Candy had. An example of this is learning about the background and milestones of SCTV. This all combines to get a better image of who Candy was. The only thing that I did not like about the book was the way in which the author continually put down a lot of Candy's movies. I do not know if he was stating his personal views or parroting reviewers and critics feelings. He puts down a lot of great movies. Candy was an epic performer that many people were very interested to see in a movie. Candy almost always brought the character to life in an identifiable and very entertaining way.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there were more John Candy books! I wish I could compare this book to others. I love John Candy. I wanted to know more about him personally-there were some moments and quotes from old friends. But I wish there were more people talking. I hated to read about the bad business he was part of. I think the book is a good start-but more needs to come out. Especially for people like me, who grew up watching him. We miss him!

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this when it came out, and had almost forgotten about it. I remember it being a competent, if not exceptional biography of Candy. I remember a lot of the SCTV crowd not being fans of it, but if I remember correctly, Dave Thomas asked them all not to talk to the Knelman as he was writing his own book on SCTV at the time, and planned to make that a tribute to Candy. So perhaps Knelman was a little handicapped in her writing by that.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting bits, but I actually skimmed through a lot of it, something I rarely do. Overall, I found it a bit on the boring side. However, I would still watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and/or Uncle Buck anytime.

[Matthew Stetz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of John Candy. Always have been.

[Calen · Rating 2 out of 5]

40% of it is an compilation of John Candy’s movie reviews. 40% is a role call of party and event attendees. 10% is interesting insofar that it somewhat describes John’s life and career.

[Jeff Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening biography on Candy. So brilliant as a comedian to the public but a tortured soul in private. Left us much too early.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love me some John Candy but I did not like this book.

[Joe Seliske · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough review of John Candy's tortured life. He hid it well.

[To Read Pile Too Big · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Raiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

The other reviews were right, this is not a really good biography. The author seems to hate every project John Candy was in and i didn't feel i learned much about the man by reading this book.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book three stars only because if it's subject. I love John Candy and felt like this bio didn't do a well enough job of telling John's story. The author kept alienating me with his editorializing (his thoughts on John's movies and his apparent distaste for John Hughes) and the way he just glossed over everything. It was like he was only allotted 220 pages by his publisher to tell John's story and it shows. The way interesting facts are glossed over in one or two sentences left me wanting more and fired me to mean about it elsewhere. Still though, it had some nice moments and tidbits about Candy that I hadn't known before and just reading about John Candy's life was a treat. RIP John, we miss you.

[Enikő · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be a difficult read. I realize biographies are tough to write because of all the facts available to be crammed in, but this one was tough to read too. I only kept reading out of sheer stubbornness. I was interested, but didn't find that the writing was up to par.
In hindsight, I'm glad I stuck to it because I learned quite a bit about John Candy and by the end the emotional investment kept me reading. I wonder if that's why I found the last few chapters to be better written than all the ones that came before.
Verdict : I don't recommend this book, but I'm glad I got through it.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems like it was very hard to get more personal information about John Candy. This book has way too much information about the people in his periphery and not enough about the man on the cover. You get a vague idea of how he was privately, but most of the books seems to tell you what you already know.

Glad I read it. It is short, but not very enlightening.

[Ben W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A glimpse into this gentle, funny man's life. While he was affable in nature, this book evinces the life-long anxieties, of success and self-worth, that John Candy was troubled with. He was a comedian, movie-star, and minority owner of the Toronto Argonauts; he took on too many film projects, and as a result he appeared in too many flops.

[Damian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although interesting at times, this book was definitely not what I was hoping it would be.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incite into the life of the Canadian comedian/actor, and the stuggles he faced during his rise to stardom.

[Nathan Forester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely moving and it reveals many sides of him.

[Clive]

Got annoyed with the author's opinions of John Candys films. Otherwise an ok book learning more about the big man of comedy.