Want to know the best John Candy movies? How about the worst John Candy movies? Curious about John Candy’s box office grosses or which John Candy movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which John Candy movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well, you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information.
John Candy (1950-1994) was one of Canada’s greatest and funniest character actors. While most of his roles fall in the supporting category…he did manage to be the lead actor in some quality movies too…can you say Only the Lonely and Planes, Trains & Automobiles? His IMDb page shows 69 acting credits from 1971 to 1995. This page will rank John Candy movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Drivel Part: (That is what my wife calls this part of the page). It has been a shocking 31 years since John Candy passed away. I am old enough that I saw 9 of the movies in the following table in movie theaters. In my house, John Candy has become synonymous with Thanksgiving. Every year without exception, we watch Candy’s best movie, Planes, Trains & Automobiles. So, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I felt it was the perfect time (actually the wife said do it now or wait until next Thanksgiving) to take a good look at the movie career of John Candy. He might be gone…. but he lives on with the many excellent movies he left behind.
John Candy Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
John Candy Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Column is the name of the John Candy movie and a link to that movie’s trailer
- Sort by John Candy movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort John Candy movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort John Candy movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort John Candy movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each John Candy movie received.
- Sort John Candy movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | JFK (1991) AA Best Picture Nom |
Kevin Costner | 70.40 | 209.0 | 609.90 | 17 | 81 | 08 / 02 | 99.2 | |
| 2 | Splash (1984) | Tom Hanks | 69.80 | 259.8 | 259.80 | 10 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 3 | National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) | Chevy Chase & Directed by Harold Ramis |
61.40 | 243.6 | 243.60 | 12 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 96.9 | |
| 4 | Stripes (1981) | Bill Murray & Harold Ramis |
85.30 | 383.5 | 383.50 | 5 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 5 | The Blues Brothers (1980) | John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd |
57.20 | 275.1 | 275.10 | 11 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 6 | Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) | Steve Martin | 49.50 | 158.3 | 158.30 | 22 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 94.9 | |
| 7 | Cool Runnings (1993) | Doug E. Doug | 68.90 | 207.9 | 467.60 | 15 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 94.3 | |
| 8 | Home Alone (1990) | Macaulay Culkin | 285.80 | 844.4 | 1,577.30 | 1 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 93.5 | |
| 9 | Uncle Buck (1989) | Macaulay Culkin | 66.80 | 210.2 | 210.20 | 18 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 10 | Little Shop of Horrors (1986) | Bill Murray & Steve Martin |
38.70 | 130.6 | 130.60 | 26 | 83 | 02 / 00 | 91.9 | |
| 11 | Spaceballs (1987) | Mel Brooks & Bill Pullman |
38.10 | 121.9 | 121.90 | 31 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 85.8 | |
| 12 | Heavy Metal (1981) Voice Only |
Harold Ramis | 26.50 | 119.0 | 119.00 | 29 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 81.9 | |
| 13 | Rookie of the Year (1993) | Gary Busey | 53.60 | 161.9 | 161.90 | 22 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 80.7 | |
| 14 | Brewster's Millions (1985) | Richard Pryor | 40.80 | 143.8 | 143.80 | 20 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 80.1 | |
| 16 | 1941 (1979) | Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi |
31.80 | 158.1 | 460.40 | 27 | 43 | 03 / 00 | 78.9 | |
| 15 | Follow That Bird (1985) | Chevy Chase | 14.00 | 49.2 | 49.20 | 64 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 78.6 | |
| 18 | The Great Outdoors (1988) | Dan Aykroyd & Annette Bening |
41.50 | 126.1 | 126.10 | 25 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 77.5 | |
| 17 | The Rescuers Down Under (1990) Voice Only |
Bob Newhart & George C. Scott |
27.90 | 82.5 | 82.50 | 41 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 77.2 | |
| 19 | Only the Lonely (1991) | Maureen O'Hara | 21.80 | 64.8 | 64.80 | 60 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 67.4 | |
| 20 | The Silent Partner (1978) | Elliott Gould & Christopher Plummer |
0.90 | 5.0 | 5.00 | 131 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 65.5 | |
| 21 | John Candy: I Like Me (2025) Amazon |
Directed by Colin Hanks | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 200 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 63.8 | |
| 22 | Volunteers (1985) | Tom Hanks | 19.90 | 70.0 | 70.00 | 45 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 54.3 | |
| 23 | Tunnel Vision (1976) | Chevy Chase | 13.20 | 77.4 | 77.40 | 51 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 53.5 | |
| 24 | Summer Rental (1985) | Joey Lawrence | 24.70 | 86.9 | 86.90 | 35 | 40 | 00 / 00 | 44.8 | |
| 25 | Career Opportunities (1991) Cameo |
Frank Whaley & Jennifer Connelly |
11.30 | 33.7 | 33.70 | 89 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 38.0 | |
| 26 | It Came From Hollywood (1982) | Dan Aykroyd | 2.60 | 10.9 | 10.90 | 111 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 30.4 | |
| 27 | Lost and Found (1979) | George Segal & Glenda Jackson |
3.20 | 16.1 | 16.10 | 92 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
| 28 | Who's Harry Crumb? (1989) | Annie Potts | 11.00 | 34.6 | 34.60 | 77 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 22.9 | |
| 29 | Delirious (1991) | Mariel Hemingway | 5.50 | 16.5 | 16.50 | 119 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 21.0 | |
| 31 | Armed and Dangerous (1986) | Meg Ryan & Eugene Levy |
20.00 | 67.3 | 67.30 | 44 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 19.0 | |
| 30 | Going Berserk (1983) | Eugene Levy | 0.40 | 1.4 | 1.40 | 145 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 17.3 | |
| 32 | Cannonball Fever (1989) | Peter Boyle | 3.10 | 9.7 | 9.70 | 130 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 11.0 | |
| 33 | Once Upon a Crime (1992) | James Belushi | 8.70 | 26.1 | 26.10 | 100 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 10.3 | |
| 34 | Double Negative (1980) | Anthony Perkins | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 202 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 6.6 | |
| 35 | Find The Lady (1976) | Mickey Rooney | 0.50 | 2.7 | 2.70 | 155 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 6.0 | |
| 36 | Hot to Trot (1988) Voice Only |
Bobcat Goldthwait | 6.40 | 19.6 | 19.60 | 113 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 6.0 | |
| 37 | Wagons East (1994) | Richard Lewis | 4.40 | 13.5 | 13.50 | 143 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 4.6 | |
| 38 | The Clown Murders (1976) | Stephen Young | 0.30 | 1.8 | 1.80 | 159 | 37 | 00 / 00 | 2.6 | |
| 39 | Canadian Bacon (1995) | Directed by Michael Moore | 0.20 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 233 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 2.3 | |
| 40 | Nothing But Trouble (1991) | Chevy Chase & Dan Aykroyd |
8.50 | 25.2 | 25.20 | 105 | 28 | 00 / 00 | 2.2 | |
| 41 | It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time (1975) | Yvonne De Carlo | 0.20 | 0.9 | 0.90 | 155 | 34 | 00 / 00 | 1.6 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About John Candy
1. John Candy was born in 1950 in Newmarket, Ontario.
2. John Candy first gained notoriety as a cast member of Toronto-based comedy-variety show Second City Television (SCTV).
3. John Candy appeared in more John Hughes movies than any other actor, starring or doing cameos in seven of them: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Uncle Buck (1989), Home Alone (1990) and appears in a cameos in She’s Having a Baby (1988) and Career Opportunities (1991).
4. John Candy was married one time. He was married to Rosemary Margaret Hobor from 1979 to his death in 1994. They had two children…..actress Jennifer Candy and actor Chris Candy.
5. John Candy was a co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
6. John Candy sat in the front row for Super Bowl XXIII. According to legend, right before the 49ers game-winning drive, quarterback Joe Montana pointed toward the stands and said to tackle Harris Barton, “Hey look over there. Isn’t that John Candy?”.
7. John Candy was entombed in the mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. His crypt lies just above fellow actor Fred MacMurray.
8. John Candy, my older boys and Nothing But Trouble (1991). Although Nothing But Trouble might be John Candy’s worst movie (he got a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor)…my sons loved Nothing But Trouble. They literally wore out the VHS tape that we owned and we had to replace it with a new VHS tape. Even today when I mention Nothing But Trouble…..the movie generates a smile from my boys.
9. John Candy turned down the Rick Moranis’ role in Ghostbusters (1984). Candy on that….”I should have been in Ghostbusters”.
10. Check out John Candy‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Hi
Trains planes and automobiles is one of my favourite films. I’ve seen it so many times. The scene at the end is really emotional, unlike a lot of 80s movies, it hasn’t dated that much. I also John in Only the Lonely with the late Maureen O’Hara. His early death was a sad loss for us all.
Hey Chris. Glad to know that you like P.T. & A too. Hard to be so close to Thanksgiving without thinking about that movie. I agree with you 100% it has aged very very well. Only The Lonely is another favorite Candy movie to me too. O’Hara should have gotten some Oscar love for that role…sadly they ignored it….just like they did with her performance in The Quiet Man. Thanks for checking out my John Candy page.
Hi, Bruce.
I have not seen as many John Candy movies as you might expect.
The highest rated movie I have seen is Planes, Trains, and Automobiles at Number 1.
The lowest rated film I have seen is Who’s Harry Crumb? at number 25.
I have seen 4 of his top 5 movies, but only 8 of them overall. I enjoy that movie the best. I also love The Blues Brothers.
I’ve seen Home Alone once, and that was enough for me.
I’ve seen only the original 1960 version of little Shop of Horrors.
Flora
Hey Flora.
1. Thanks for checking out my Candy page. Not sure what category he falls in. He certainly not a classic star…but he is not a current star either.
2. Good to know that you have seen Planes Trains Automobile….that movie is one of the main reasons I decided to do this page.
3. I have not seen Who’s Harry Crumb….so you have me there.
4. Tally count….26 for me, 19 for Steve and 8 for you….a decent total for you.
5. My kids love Home Alone…but they are 6 and 9 which is the target audience for that movie….everybody else just has to suffer through that movie….lol.
6. Candy is ok in Little Shop Of Horrors….but Bill Murray and Steve Martin steal the movie in their small but funny moments.
Thanks for stopping by and talking John Candy movies.
I’ll be watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles also. pure comic genius.
Hey Joe….I agree with you 100%.
Whoa a lot more films than I was expecting. If he were still alive this would have been a long page, he was a very popular actor and well liked actor so sad that he died so young, 44.
I’ve seen 19 of the 34 films you’ve listed, not bad I suppose. Favorites include 1941, Blues Brothers, Planes Trains, Splash and Stripes. Was he in The Silent Partner? It’s been a while since I saw that film.
Surprised to see Stripes topping the Moviscore, beating the likes of Blues Brothers, Home Alone and JFK. Wait a sec I cant remember Candy in Home Alone but its been ages since I saw that film too. Generally I tend to avoid films with lots of screaming kids, I’ve only seen The Goonies once and that was quite enough.
Home Alone tops the box office chart, okay that was a freak success, if it was released today would anyone go to see it? Another expert movie page Bruce. Voted Up.
Hey Steve….I was struggling with a movie request made by some guy in England….so I left that movie subject and found this John Candy page very easy to put together. 44 is very young indeed…you are right we have missed some many Candy movies over the last 21 years.
So you are at 19….I am at 26 John Candy movies watched. Glad to see you like Planes, Trains and Automobiles….easily the best Thanksgiving movie ever. Stripes was one of his biggest hits (2nd) and got great reviews. Candy has a small part in The Silent Partner (an unknown very entertaining movie) and plays the guy that helps the mom get home in Home Alone. My kids watch Home Alone every Xmas season….so I will be hanging out with John in a couple of weeks many many times.
Home Alone actually opened up against Rambo 3 and destroyed it at the box office….not sure if would succeed today…..but man was it popular back then…..as always….thanks for stopping by and talking movies.
Planes Trains and Automobiles is a classic comedy but I don’t watch it as much as I should because the ending was unexpectedly sad and it really got to me the first time I saw it. The rest of the film was hilarious, I just didn’t expect my eyes to fill up with tears at the finale. Yes I’m human after all. 🙂
Your human? You learn something new every day….lol. Seeing Del Griffith sitting all alone in the train station creates more than a few misty eyes. But it ends well….as Del gets to have dinner with Steve….unless that is the sad part for you. You should watch it again in the next couple of days….as Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
Hi, guys, a great read 🙂 I have a site too http://www.searchingforcandy.com if you fancy checking it out? xx
Hey Tracey…thanks for the nice words. I checked out your website…very impressive. I will add the link to my page….good luck with the book….I look forward to it.