Twice Two

There are certain clichés that almost every comedian has done some time. One of them is dressing as the opposite sex and in this film you get to see how well Laurel & Hardy manage to entertain as ladies. The best individual concept in this bit is the fact that the pair has married each others sisters, who both "unfortunately" look like their brothers. Mr Hardy is very "Ollie" when he even states about his wedding day "It was the happiest day of my life." The best in this film are the insults that the two "ladies" present to each other. Some people might not necessarily find the insults enjoyable, but they are definitely something you never hear in other Laurel & Hardy films. Not their best film, but despite the possible not-very-good-taste element, among the funniest "men as women" flicks ever.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy reached their creative best with Twice Two where they their usual selves and female counterparts. It seems as though Stan and Ollie have married each other's sister and both think it was a great idea as it cements the relationship of the two.

They might have to rethink the notion as a family dinner at the Laurels proves a disaster. The female Ollie falls into a cake during the preparation. There's also a great gag with simply Stan using Ollie's key to open the front door. I won't say more but I think it's a tribute to both of them, especially Stan the creative one that they could get so many laughs with a simple act all of us but shut-ins do nearly every day.

Of course with the female personas half the credit should go to the actresses who provided the voices for the characters. May Wallace for Stan and Carol Tevis for Ollie perfectly match those familiar bodies in drag.

Offspring from these unions would be called double cousins. Just think what those kids might be like.

I hadn't seen this L&H "Twice Two" before but I find myself re-watching it on my DVR as a better effort by them than some of their other better-known short films. Yes, the dubbing of the womens' voices is not perfect but that is hardly a problem. There is so much more that IS good: The sound effects are great - when Stan's wife (played by Ollie) gets a cake dumped on her - twice - or when eating supper and she claims the noise she is making is not her slurping the soup, but "it's my asthma..." and then lets loose with a noise that sounds like an elephant snorting through a ditch pipe. Of course Ollie's reaction to his sister's 'asthma' noise is a puzzled stare into the camera.

Stanley was great too, playing Ollie's wife. You have to watch closely but he made some of the best faces I've ever seen him do.

I'll never say it's their very best but this is much better than some L&H things that I've seen. Late in their career Oliver Hardy seemed to be too fat to do the physical comedy and the stories were not even believable from a comedy standpoint. This early short is funny and I enjoyed it.

"Twice Two" isn't among the most consistent or hilarious Laurel & Hardy shorts but it still is fun and good enough to watch.

The boys in drag isn't exactly the greatest style of humor. The concept even got a bit tiresome after a while in the movie. The movie goes on for a bit too long with its gags and isn't the best paced Laurel & Hardy short.

Yet the movie is filled with some truly great and well timed moments, that without doubt will make you laugh.

A fun movie but with a far too long stretched out concept and storyline.

7/10

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Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me was their first truly classic one with close to flawless execution. Didn't find 'Twice Two' quite one of their very best, but it to me still very good.

Admittedly, the story is pretty thin and is pretty standard and the beginning is a touch slow. The dubbing has also been criticised by a few for understandable reasons, it jars a bit.

Despite that, 'Twice Two' is great fun while also having a definite degree of substance, never less than very amusing and the best moments, like with the ice cream and the phone calls, being classic hilarity. It is never too silly, there is a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit is here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually doesn't feel too familiar and it doesn't get repetitive. Seeing the two in drag is great fun and nowhere near as tiresome as it sounds, while Laurel and the ice cream is even funnier. A lot happens yet it doesn't ever feel rushed or over-stuffed.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Twice Two' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable, especially Laurel as Hardy's wife.

'Twice Two' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static.

Concluding, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox