Review of Stan & Ollie (2018) by Davrosdaleks1 — 16 Mar 2019

Stan & Ollie follows famed forties comedy duo Stan Laurel (played by Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (played by John C. Reilly) in their sixties during the 1950s. Their find themselves facing the decline of their careers as they tour Great Britain. What ensues is a rather entertaining and heartfelt biopic that balances humor and drama.

Confident direction from John S. Baird, especially the beginning and end. The opening is a continuous shot that competently reveals the exposition and Laurel and Hardy's personalities in a short amount of time. The ending scene knows just the right shots in order to direct the audience's emotions.

Sharp, funny dialogue. Fans of Laurel and Hardy will be pleased to see many of their routines here. However, if old-timey physical humor isn't your thing, it might get to be a bit too much for you after awhile.

Their are some good dramatic moments in this, however some of the more serious moments drag on in parts. The section about Laurel and Hardy waiting for funding for a Robin Hood movie is given way more time than needed. I thought they focused too much on manufacturing a conflict between L&O. Surprisingly, they leave out other sad factors of the end of their careers, Laurel being sick for a while and their last film Utopia being a bomb, which I think could've worked well in this.

Coogan and Reilly are the film duo I never knew I needed. Their chemistry is great. They completely sell the friendship between the two comedians. Reilly turns in one of his best performances, which is saying something. The entire main cast is strong, including Rufus Jones as silver-tongued manager Bernard Delfont, Nina Arianda as Laurel's outgoing wife Nina, and Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter's Moaning Myrtle) as Hardy's wife, constantly worried about his health.

Ultimately, this movie does a good job of capturing the spirit of the duo. If you're unfamiliar with them, then you'll still find a good story.