Stan & Ollie

Starring: Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones, Danny Huston, Joseph Balderrama
Directed by: Jon S. Baird
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Hardy (John C. Reilly) team up once again to revive their careers by a live show tour across London.

Review:

Tim: Stan & Ollie is a cute, mildly entertaining look at the swan song of one of the most famous comedy duos of all time. It's the kind of movie that does just enough to mostly hold your attention, somewhat informs on the subject matter, and is fairly entertaining. I never loved the movie or was wowed by it, but it did enough right. It's the kind of movie you don't mind watching.

I appreciated this look into the characters of Laurel and Hardy. I don't know much about them as men, nor about the latter stage of their career. It was fun to see them depicted here in flesh and blood. This is a film about the friendship between these two men, even though it's strained and has had its ups and downs. That's one of the lasting impressions from this film. It was interesting to consider the lifelong relationship these men had- they couldn't have been more different, but their combined talents struck a nerve with audiences. I found it interesting to think about how much of their lives they spent with each other and it's wasn't necessarily by their own design- they were put together as an act and it took off from there. It was entertaining to watch them at the end of their career. They're trying desperately to hold onto the fame and adoration they once had, as they believe they still have gas left in the tank. Fame is fleeting and it's always worthwhile to watch movies about characters dealing with that aspect. I thought this was interesting, but not as much as the examination of the relationship between these two men. The movie did a good job mining that and at least giving us a glimpse into what it must have been like between them.

The biggest attraction here is getting to see Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly bring these characters to life. The casting was spot on. Coogan really embraces the Laurel role- he's the one in control, the mastermind behind their act. He has a lot to lose here and his ambition and pride can make him callous. Coogan brings all this to life while ensuring his Laurel is endearing enough that we're always in his corner, regardless of his actions. Coogan is good, but Reilly is great as Hardy. The makeup was outstanding and he's nearly unrecognizable in this role. The physical transformation is quite impressive, but it's Reilly's performance behind all that, which really makes the movie. He brings heart to this sometimes simplistic, easygoing man. You think about what a presence Hardy was on screen, and it's not surprising that his real-life personality was different. Reilly's performance is so good and it's a reminder that he continues to be one of the most underrated actors.

Outside of Coogan and Reilly, I have to say the rest of the cast seemed pretty bleak. Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda both play unlikable characters, but their performances didn't feel great, either. Neither one of them made much of an impression on me. The movie would have been better with stronger performances from these two- they weren't especially funny and ended up being mostly a drag on the film and the characters around them. I place a lot of blame on their performances, but the writing and directing didn't help them, either. The rest of the cast felt mostly forgettable. This is a movie that's really focused on its two leads.

I enjoyed Stan & Ollie, but it always felt like a lightweight movie to me. It's the kind of film I would watch once and have zero desire to watch again. I'm not trying to be overly critical- this is a good movie and it accomplishes what it set out to do. It just felt a little too safe without being nearly heartwarming enough. It's a perfectly fine film, but I didn't see a simple glimpse of greatness here. It's the kind of film that's fine while you're watching it, but you know isn't especially memorable. Still, I want to be clear that this was a perfectly good movie and I had a good time watching it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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