“Stan & Ollie” (PG)
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are completely realized by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, respectively, in “Stan & Ollie,” an unconventional yet memorable biopic that somehow sadly got lost in the madness of awards season.
Directed with a deft touch by Jon S. Baird, “Stan & Ollie” starts out in 1937, where the duo is filming their classic comedy “Way Out West,” but then shifts ahead to the 1950s where Laurel (Coogan) and Hardy (Reilly) are trying to get their stagnant film career back on track while embarking on a live theater tour of Europe.
Coogan feels like a Stan Laurel clone and Reilly completely disappears into the heavy prosthetic makeup to become Oliver Hardy — and you really do feel like you’re watching the real-life duo with a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of their brilliant career before it sadly came to an end not long after the events of the film.
Just like the movies of the comedic duo’s films in their heyday, “Stan & Ollie” makes for good, clean family fun, as evidenced by the film’s PG rating, but ultimately it has as many poignant moments as it does funny ones.
Apart from showing how Coogan and Reilly masterfully recreate the comic routines of Laurel and Hardy, “Stan & Ollie” shows that yes, the duo, like practically every creative team throughout entertainment history, did have their share of problems with one-another. Despite their disagreements and sniping, however, Laurel and Hardy also loved each other, especially when they needed support the most with the realization that that their career as one of the world’s greatest comedy duos was coming to an end.
The interesting take on “Stan & Ollie” is that the film chronicles a time in their career that not a lot of people know about with their European stage tour, which shows, furthermore, that they were far from being has-beens. In fact, they were spot-on hilarious until the very end, despite Hardy’s deteriorating health.
And while the film could have easily ended on a down note because of Hardy’s troubles, Baird’s decision to show the courage the comedian displayed despite knowing his days were numbered ends up making “Stan & Ollie” an inspiring tale. It’s a fitting way to end the film considering how much Laurel and Hardy inspired the work of countless comedians to this very day.
Lammometer: 9 (out of 10)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
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