'Stan and Ollie' Review

2019 looks set to be a top year for film and one of the first pictures up is Stan and Ollie. Directed by Jon Baird, we are transported back to the late 1930s and then early 1950s to follow the final tour of legendary comedy double act Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. John C. Riley, who plays Hardy, admitted that they would be showing before unseen moments from the pairs life behind the seasons and how they sold out theatres across the UK right up until the very end. It leaves the audience with a tinge of sadness, yet shows the impact which their comedy had on both Hollywood and throughout this final tour on UK soil.

Riley and Steve Coogan, playing other half of the pair Stan Laurel, have countless numbers of big screen films beneath their belts. Yet both are more familiar in a different form of comedy. Their portrayal of Laurel and Hardy in appearance and persona is practically perfect. The dance routine from their 1937 picture Way Out West is replicated fantastically by Riley and Coogan and it is timed just before the 16-year jump into the 1950s. Many fans of Laurel & Hardy have agreed that this dance in the 1937 film is one of the duos most iconic and the attention to detail within the film is genius.

One scene of note for me is back in 1937. The camera fixates on the pair wandering over to the studios very nonchalantly, as they would have done thousands of times before, talking about their day to day issues. It feels very easy to get lost in the conversation and become disconnected with their surroundings on-screen. This scene also gives insight into how the duo engaged with other members off staff on-set, perhaps very different to the way 21st century actors do in modern day Hollywood.

The time frame of the film was somewhat of a surprise before watching, I fully expected a period earlier in their careers to be reflected on. However, the trials and tribulations brought about in the early 1950s at the back end of Laurel and Hardy’s time in the comedy game soon makes you appreciate the importance of the movie being set when it is.

It’s fair to say this film plays on the emotions. The recognition of some of the small yet significant characteristics which Laurel and Hardy are both remembered most fondly for is done in such detail. We also see the duo doing things which we would never have considered them doing, such as gambling and arguing with directors. This film could have portrayed both in a more negative light but in the end, it is a beautiful homage to a couple of Hollywood heroes.

We see the friction which occurred on the tour between the pair as well as their wives, Shirley Henderson playing Lucille Hardy and Stan’s wife Ida Kitaeva played by Nina Arianda. Being no longer popular is undoubtedly at the back of most actor’s minds. The brutality of empty seats for Laurel and Hardy is something rarely associated with the pair and within the film this is brought to our attention early in proceedings. Despite the obvious issues between the pair and their wives, hinted to be mainly down to Stan’s inability to switch off, we see the power and strength between the pair. With all those years together at the top of the showbiz world, it would be impossible not to create a lifelong friendship.

Laurel and Hardy gave so much to the world of comedy. They may have been out of any form of spotlight since passing away, but they were deserving of an updated account of their lives. Stan and Ollie shows them the respect they deserve whilst also bringing their comedy refreshed to new generations. It is a biopic which will arguably be the best of 2019 and one which should give plenty of plaudits to Riley and Coogan whilst reminding audiences why Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have gone down in history. The famous bowler hats associated with Laurel and Hardy look pretty good on the much newer comedy duo they are being represented by.