After Years of Fame, a Comedic Duo Attempts to Recapture Audiences’ Hearts

Steve Coogan (left) and John C. Reilly in "Stan & Ollie"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

As a movie buff, it’s difficult for me to resist stories about Hollywood’s golden age, as these were decades where the possibilities of filmmaking expanded and gave us some of the best movies of all time and some of the most-talented actors and actresses in the industry.  Over the last few years, we’ve had Martin Scorsese’s 2004 drama, “The Aviator,” which told the story of film director Howard Hughes; Julian Jarrold’s 2012 making-of-“The Birds” television film, “The Girl;” Sacha Gervasi’s 2012 making-of-“Psycho” drama, “Hitchcock”; and Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam’s 2017 miniseries, “Feud: Bette and Joan,” which focused on the strained work-relationship between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on the set of “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”  Watching such true stories offers endless, fascinating details about these artists and their work, creating irresistible insight over which any film lover will obsess.

Director Jon S. Baird does the same with his comedy-drama, “Stan & Ollie,” a witty and emotional view into the legendary duo, Laurel and Hardy, in a story that’s brought to life with the help of two great lead performances.

In 1937, Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) face some difficulties that put their collaboration on hold.  Sixteen years later, the two of them reunite and embark on a music-hall tour across England and Ireland as they also attempt to have another film made.

Coogan and Reilly have a boundless chemistry that makes this movie an absolute joy to watch.  Just as their real-life counterparts made audiences laugh for many years, Coogan and Reilly make us laugh with their witty exchanges and embodiment of the spirit of Laurel and Hardy.  As their characters’ successes shift towards their troubles, Coogan and Reilly deliver the emotional strain that grows between Laurel and Hardy when previous difficulties that arose during their stardom threatens to break their friendship.  These are affecting performances because of how we see them experiencing happiness in bringing their comedic talents to audiences, but then must face the possibility of having that time in their lives come to an end.

Aside from the highs and lows that we see in Stan and Ollie’s relationship, we’re also treated to some wonderful bits of visual comedy from the two of them, and not just when they’re filming a movie or performing on stage, but in the moments between their productions.  This includes a scene involving Stan in a film producer’s office, and Stan and Ollie at the front desk of a hotel, and these scenes emphasize how much the two of them loved to entertain audiences.  This is a movie that’s full of charm, and those aforementioned sequences display the magic that was held within the talents of Laurie and Hardy.

The film also has two memorable supporting performances from Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as Laurel and Hardy’s wives, respectively.  They bring considerable fun to the screen and provide the film with many humorous moments, making the two of them a wonderful duo to go alongside Laurel and Hardy.

The screenplay by Jeff Pope offers a look into this iconic pair of performers as they try to come to terms with their fading popularity.  This is a more fascinating choice in telling the story than focusing on their whole careers because all of its attention can remain on a tumultuous time that comes later in Stan and Ollie’s lives.  The movie takes place in 1937 for about 10 minutes in the beginning, while the rest of it takes place in 1953, and we know for long Laurel and Hardy have been working together before that 16-year separation.  So, there’s more emotion to the story because the movie brings us to a later stage in their careers where they’re not sure if they’ll ever meet the same high levels of success that they maintained for so long.  Here, we see the impacts that previous conflicting plans for fame have on Laurel and Hardy at this period of their lives and how their animosity threatens to end their collaboration.

One of the film’s most memorable scenes is its opening.  Here, we begin with Stan and Ollie sharing a friendly discussion in their dressing room, and they then proceed to walk out onto the studio lot.  The cinematography by Laurie Rose constructs this scene as a long take that lasts about five minutes.  The camera follows Stan and Ollie as they continue to speak, while also absorbing the audience in a classical-Hollywood atmosphere.  Watching this conversation unfold creates a rich naturalism between Laurel and Hardy as they go about another day of bringing smiles to moviegoers.

Baird exhibits Laurel and Hardy’s friendship and their passion for comedy in a film that’s loaded with heart and humor, and he might even get you a bit misty-eyed.  With “Stan & Ollie, ” Baird and his team don’t just show the talent that sparked from these two iconic performers, but also how a mutual love for entertaining sparked a friendship.

Grade: A