‘I Like Me’ Film Has Us Thinking About Mental Health; What’s Not to ‘Like’ About That?

Candy is sweet, but seeing a friend or loved one suffer through mental health issues is anything but. 

Let us explain.  

The new documentary John Candy: I Like Me is a magical film about a comedy icon who left us far too soon. 

It’s a trip down memory lane—from Planes, Trains and Automobiles where the documentary’s title comes from to Splash, Spaceballs and more—that offers great insight into Candy’s life and struggles. Conan O’Brien offers a pithy quote in the film of note: “The hazard of this business is that it’s very unhealthy for people pleasers.”   

John Candy was a people pleaser. 

As the film shows, he was generous with his time and money throughout his life. For instance, he insisted on paying for expensive meals for his improv colleagues even in the early days of his career when he didn’t have the income to support such an endeavor. That did, however, give birth to his alter ego, “Johnny Toronto,” a larger-than-life persona and the nickname his friends bestowed upon him. 

During the Q&A segment of an advanced screening at the Chicago Theater, actor Jim Belushi told the audience an anecdote about the 1991 movie Only the Lonely that showcases just how generous Candy was—and how he was always out to please. Candy was excited to be working with screen legend Maureen O’Hara, who had given up acting in 1971. She came out of retirement to play John’s mother in the movie, and, despite living until 2015, this would be her final film acting credit.  

On location in Chicago, Candy noticed that O’Hara’s trailer was quite small. He was embarrassed that someone with such a storied film career was being treated without the respect he thought she so richly deserved, so he told the producers that they needed to get her a trailer as big as his. When they replied that it wasn’t in the budget, he insisted they give O’Hara his trailer and that he would move to a smaller one. That’s exactly what happened until the producers finally acquiesced and brought a second large trailer to the set for him to use.  

That was John Candy. 

He was always trying to make people happy, but he battled his own demons including anxiety, weight gain, the loss of his father at an early age, and the pressures that came with being a huge Hollywood star with so many people counting on him. 

The day Candy died in March 1994 was during the filming of Wagons East in Durango, Mexico. It was a very hot day and he was feeling worn down, but he didn’t want to let anybody down by stopping the shoot, so he continued working. That very night he had a fatal heart attack. 

Changing the Perception 

We’ve come a long way when it comes to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health issues, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to grow.  

Last week was World Mental Health Day, which is an important reminder that Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) and HR outsourcers (HROs) like you play a vital role in helping small businesses provide these important benefits. 

As the National Alliance on Metal Illness (NAMI) states, “There is no health care without mental health care,” but it wasn’t until the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 that insurance companies began covering mental health issues en masse in the United States. Later, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 expanded parity in terms of treatment limits and financial requirements (i.e., copayments and deductibles). 

And while the pandemic might not be top of mind these days—except when it comes to the ongoing saga of the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)—what can’t be ignored is the increase in mental health, anxiety and depression issues that have surfaced since. 

A World Health Organization headline from 2022 revealed that the “pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.”   

Coverage From Head to Toe 

When it comes to mental health care, help can be a few clicks away. 

Collectively, PrismHR’s customers power more than 100,000 companies that can offer their employees multiple benefit options thanks to the co-employment model and the comprehensive insurance options that the PrismHR platform offers. And whether it’s Benefits Administration or Benefits Enrollment, PrismHR has the tech your clients and their employees need to make informed choices about their health care and mental health care. 

We also have a great option for mental health well-being training and support from PrismHR Marketplace partner Headversity.  

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1 in 5 adults in this country have a “diagnosable mental health condition in any given year.”  

Candy, himself, once said, “I think I may have become an actor to hide from myself․ You can escape into a character․ You can get lost and take up another life․” 

Hopefully the I Like Me film will have more people thinking about mental health—what’s not to like about that?  

With the proper benefit choices, you not only can make a splash for your clients but also help make a difference for someone’s mental health. 

James Tehrani is PrismHR’s content marketing manager. He is an award-winning writer and editor based in the Chicago area.