STAN AND OLLIE – Review

STAN AND OLLIE is a moving love letter to beloved comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (portrayed by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly). The film focuses on the dynamics of the duo’s 1953 comeback tour through the music halls of England, which took place amid Ollie’s deteriorating health. With the exception of a look at the filming of  WAY OUT WEST, one of Laurel and Hardy’s most beloved comedies, director Jon Baird and screenwriter Jeff Pope resist the temptation to show too many re-creations of old movies and imitators of old stars. Fortunately for fans of the pair, that tour featured re-creations of many of their routines, songs and gags and there is plenty on screen to enjoy.

STAND AND OLLIE is one of the great human dramas of Hollywood, though little of it actually takes place in tinseltown.  There’s a 15-minute opening set there in 1937, the peak of Laurel and Hardy’s popularity. They’re introduced arguing money with producer Hal Roach (Danny Huston in a brief role), who runs the studio they’re contracted to. This is followed by an eye-popping single take where the pair talk about their financial mess, wives and divorces, and gambling problems, all while taking a long walk from their dressing room across the sound stages to film the ‘Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia‘ musical number for WAY OUT WEST. It’s a glorious shot with extras in Egyptians outfits and dancing beauties wandering by while the sets are being prepared around them. The pair has a falling out when Stan walks away from Roach after his contract has expired and Ollie teams up with Harry Langdon for a film, making Stan feel somewhat betrayed. Fast forward 16 years to 1953 where Laurel and Hardy are in their early 60s and beginning a comeback stage tour in the UK. The tour has been booked by British producer Bernard Delfont (Rufus Jones) and while at first they’re performing in near-empty theaters due to poor marketing, business begins to pick up. The aging stars are hoping that being back in the public will help them raise money for one more film, an ambitious comedy version of Robin Hood, but first there are long-held resentments to be resolved.

Coogan and Reilly are inspired choices to play Laurel and Hardy, two very different men who hold both grudges and genuine affection for each other, . With the help of some seamless make-up and prosthetics, they are astonishing representations of the great comedy team and the actors’ chemistry that makes for some special entertainment.  John C. Reilly especially immerses himself in the role of Oliver Hardy, conjuring convincing pain, desire, and regret in the character. Though Stan’s life at this point had less drama and tragedy, Steve Coogan keeps up with his costar at every step in a trickier role. Where Ollie was just naturally funny, the script makes clear that Stan was the smarter business man, as well as the genius behind their lines and staging. There are also juicy roles for Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as Ida and Lucille, Laurel and Hardy’s wives. The two women, who have little in common besides their loyalty to their husbands, are an entertaining duo unto themselves. Henderson is anxious and fragile as the dedicated Lucille, while Arianda is priceless as the strong-willed, hard-drinking Russian actress who loves to name-drop her small roles in previous films.

The single most memorable sequence in STAN AND OLLIE is Ollie’s fantasy of how that Robin Hood movie (which was never made) might have turned out. In that dream, filmed on color, Stan and Ollie are young and vibrant again, a nice touch. Like GODS AND MONSTERS and ED WOOD, STAN AND OLLIE is a warm and clever look at the Hollywood that made Hollywood. I learned quite a bit about this seminal comedy pair, and I came away from it moved and happy. STAN AND OLLIE is a great movie, one of the 2018’s best.

5 of 5 Stars