TIFF 2025 films for theatre and comedy lovers
From docs about John Candy and the famous 1972 Godspell to two takes on Hamlet, there are lots of stage-related movies at this year's festival
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival slate of stage-related films seems much stronger and more interesting than last year’s.
The opener, for one, is a documentary about one of Canada’s most beloved comic actors. Another hotly-anticipated doc explores the legendary Toronto production of a certain religious-themed musical that featured a rowdy bunch of future comedy and theatre greats.
And there’s not one but two takes on the Hamlet story. Plus a film about one of musical theatre’s great lyricists — when does that happen?
Note: I didn’t apply for TIFF media accreditation this year, for various reasons that are too boring to get into here. Mostly I need a break before the theatre season revs up in September. But I’ll try to weigh in on these films if and when I can — if not during the festival, then when they’re released theatrically.
John Candy: I Like Me
It’s still hard to believe that John Candy was only 43 years old when he died of a heart attack in 1994. His work, from his brilliant SCTV sketches and characters to iconic comedies like Splash, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Uncle Buck, still feels fresh and original. Imagine what he could have gone on to do. Director Colin Hanks employs archival footage (wonder if there’s something about Candy’s small role in the first ever Tarragon Theatre season, in 1971) and interviews with his friends like Steve Martin, Tom Hanks (the director’s dad), Martin Short, Eugene Levy and his young Uncle Buck co-star, Macaulay Culkin. A lovely film to open this year’s 50th anniversary festival.
September 4 at 6 pm (Princess of Wales) and 8 pm (Roy Thomson Hall); September 11 at 9 pm, September 12 and 13 at 9 am, September 14 at 9:25 am at the Scotiabank. See details here
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution...
No history of the Toronto theatre scene is complete without a reference to the legendary production of Godspell that opened at the Royal Alex in 1972 before transferring uptown to the Bayview Playhouse. Victor Garber headed up the cast as Jesus (he would soon leave for New York and the show’s film adaptation), and the ensemble included Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Jayne Eastwood and music director Paul Schafer. Also, its composer, Stephen Schwartz, would go on to create a modest little show called Wicked. All of them would go on to alter the entertainment landscape. Director Nick Davis talks to surviving members of the cast and uses various media — including animation — to recreate the time and illustrate the huge importance of this show to future pop culture.
September 6 at 2 pm at Roy Thomson Hall; September 7 at 9:15 pm and September 12 at 9:30 pm at the Scotiabank. See details here