You could sayDeadpool & Wolverinehas been a tad bit of a success, as theRyan ReynoldsandHugh JackmanMarvel project earned over$200 million opening weekendin the U.S. alone.Deadpool & Wolverineis just as much a wild, over-the-top comedy as it is a superhero action movie due to the chemistry of the two leads, with Jackman’s Wolverine a serious and grumpy older man who can barely tolerate the unserious Deadpool,who makes a joke out of everything and never shuts up. There is purpose to the madness, as Reynolds intentionally modeled their relationship on the one between Neal Page (Steve Martin) and Del Griffith (John Candy) inPlanes, Trains, and Automobiles. Reynolds is such a huge fan of Candy and the movie that he’s actually found a way to honortheJohn Hughesdirected comedyin every Deadpool film.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.
Ryan Reynolds Is Making a John Candy Documentary
With Ryan Reynolds being from Canada (he was born in Vancouver), it’s no surprise that his comedic style would be molded by another Canadian actor, Toronto’s own John Candy. Candy first found fame in the late ’70s onSCTV, which was Canada’s answer toSaturday Night Live. In the mid-80s, he became a major film actor,with parts inStripes,Splash,Summer Rental,Spaceballs, and best of all, 1987’sPlanes, Trains, and Automobiles. Coming out when Ryan Reynolds was eleven-years-old,it’s easy to see why the future Deadpool would cling to Candy’s movies.
In 2022, it was announced thatRyan Reynolds andColin Hankswere collaborating on a documentary about John Candy’s life, with Reynolds' production company Maximum Effort in charge. Reynolds told fans to “expect tears,” especially since Candy sadlypassed away at the age of 43 in 1994 while filmingWagon’s East. Reynoldssaid of Candy on Instagramthat he “always walked that tightrope between hilarious and heartbreaking. His movies mean so much to me. If you haven’t seen his work, check it out. He’s absolutely beautiful.”
John Candy’s ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ Performance Means a Lot to Ryan Reynolds
In the media blitz forDeadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynoldssat down withBen Mankiewiczfrom Turner Classic Moviesto talk aboutPlanes, Trains, and Automobiles. It’s arguably Candy’s best movie by far, with him playing Del Griffith, a gregarious man who never stops joking around or talking, even when he’s stranded with a guy he just met: Steve Martin’s grumpy Neal Page. The two clash throughout the entire film,until the ending, where we go from seeing glimpses of Del’s pain, to seeing why he is so lonely. It leads to a sweet final scene of Neal taking Del home for Thanksgiving to meet his family and a truly heartbreaking freeze-frame of a smile on Candy’s face in the final shot.
This Box Office Dud Is Actually John Candy’s Best Movie
You can’t go wrong with John Hughes and Chris Columbus.
Ryan Reynolds told Ben Mankiewicz that he’s always been obsessed with John Candy. He revealed why he loves him as Del Griffith so much, saying, “He gives us this glimpse into his vulnerability and his humanity that you don’t see in as many other films of his, and how these maladaptive coping mechanisms that we use to sort of avoid life’s harsher truth or emotional pain that we’re going through, how those kind of act as a sort of balm and help us get from one place to another.” Reynolds saidCandy’s coping mechanism as Del Griffith is that he’s incredibly clingy and annoying.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Features a Dynamic Similar to Steve Martin and John Candy’s
Reynolds admitted he found Del Griffith inPlanes, Trains, and Automobilesto be both moving and heartbreaking. He confessed that he tries to put something from the movie in everything he does, adding thatthere’s a nod to John Candy and that movie in every single Deadpool film. Part of it is just an Easter egg tribute of the book Del Griffith is holding,The Canadian Mounted, during the airport lounge scene.Reynolds licenses it for every Deadpool movie, calling up Paramount and giving them $5,000, then hiding the book somewhere out in the open during a scene.
The tributes to John Candy and Del Griffith go beyond that, though. The actor and the character also inspired the writing of the movies.Deadpool is a lot like Del in ways, with both men filled with pain from past trauma who use humor and clinginess to deflect it. The odd couple pairing of Neal and Del also influencedDeadpool & Wolverine. If Deadpool is Del, Wolverine andNeal Page are the biggest grumps you’ll ever meet. Both are annoyed to the limit by the guys in their lives who refuse to shut up and leave them alone.
One particular scene fromPlanes, Trains, and AutomobilesinfluencedDeadpool & Wolverinethe most. It’s the moment in the hotel room where Neal goes ballistic, screaming at Del. Reynolds teased viewers, saying one scene in his movie is reminiscent to this, adding, “if I’m the John Candy character inDeadpool & Wolverine, it would be Hugh would be the Steve Martin character.” Though he didn’t specify theDeadpool & Wolverinescene in question, you may have noticed something familiar about Deadpool and Wolverine’s fight in the car. Thankfully, Neal and Del certainly never came to blows quite like that.
Deadpool & Wolverineis playing in theaters now.
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