'Stan & Ollie' A Review

Stan & Ollie is a biopic about the latter days of legendary comedy duo Laurel & Hardy.  The film opens in 1937 on the production of Way Out West where Stan Laurel(Steve Coogan) and Oliver "Babe" Hardy(John C. Reilly) have a falling out over their studio contracts. Flashfoward sixteen years and the remainder of the film takes place as the famous duo, their stars waned, tour Europe to make money and in hopes of relaunching their film careers.

Both Coogan and Reilly give elegant, nuanced performances, their "impressions" may not be spot-on but they're close and both are able to channel the charm, humor, and palpable chemistry of the famous comedy team. They really shine when they revive, reinvent, and in some instances completely imitate Laurel & Hardy bits and routines. The final scene of the film, the closing act of their stage show, is a dance routine and its one of the most arresting scenes of the year. The two actors capture the heartbreaking reality of the aging-out artist, the fading of relivance, the decline of ability. That straightfoward look at the once-great breaking down, both physically and within an industry that has moved on, is the most fascinating aspect of the film and Coogan and Reilly take such care and empathy in their performances.

The other aspects of the film aren't as successful. The plotting follows a conventional, plodding, biopic format and conflict between the two leads is manufactured periodically(between the two of them or with their respective wives) in order to propel the action. But the conflict is virtually unnecessary.  What is engaging about the film is how the two stars, aged out, surpassed by evolving taste and younger talent grapple with their impending irrelevance. All the rest is distraction and loses the magic the film captures. The obvious almost saccharine score doesn't help coming in continually aggressively telegraphing emotions the actors are already nimbly eliciting.

An amateur script with two excellent leads.

Rent It.