Stan & Ollie

This is the best new movie I have watched in years. John C. Reilly could easily be nominated for acting honors. The cinematography is beautiful, the sets are believable and the story seems to be an honest account of an interesting part of Stan and Ollie's lives. The best part of this movie is the opening four minute plus tracking scene. It is not quite as great as LaLaLand's tracking shot but still one of the all time best. Laurel and Hardy fans will love this movie. Hopefully it will make youngsters curious enough to watch some of their old movies. This movies uses some of my favorite scenes from Way Out West. Excellent movie.

Steve Coogan has catapulted himself into a different class in this film, John C Riley, well you kind of expect and he never disappoints, solid and dependable. With such distinguished and recognisable cast, you kind of expect to see the familiar characters of the actors themselves playing parts that you cannot suspend disbelief. Clint Eastwood for example, you see a Clint Eastwood film, you have no idea who he's playing, it's just Clint Eastwood. But here, Steve Coogan disappears from the screen and becomes Stan Laurel, you are aware there are some slight physical appearance which make you know it's not quite right, but you are not seeing Steve Coogan, that's for sure. The film is engaging, enlightening into the real people that existed behind the alter egos of Laurel and Hardy, and is a beautiful dip into their personal relationship without portraying any dirty dark revelations that a sensationalist may be tempted to put into a film. Instead it remains for the most, a journey you take with the boys, and their struggle to remain relevant in a fast changing world after some not so good decisions in hindsight, and decisions which were presented well enough for you to subscribe to the reasoning of each possibility and probably make the same mistakes yourself. What im trying to say is that some films will present such bad career decisions as painfully obvious to the viewer, but this film left you taking both sides with equal validity.

But most of all, the film presents their deep and loving friendship. I wept, I wiped the tears and weaped some more. The kind of tear when you are simply moved by such genuine love. The film seemed to be over too quickly, I could've stayed another hour and half. Well done all concerned.

Now this, this is award winning stuff.

After a quick introduction in 1937 during which we discover Laurel and Hardy at their peak and in full glory, we elliptically flip in 1953, which seems to be the beginning of the end of a legendary association imbued with a seamless friendship. The duet is wonderfully and faithfully interpreted by 2 excellent actors.

(No Spoilers here)

When fans of the iconic team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy think of them, it is primarily their work that came out of the Hal Roach Studios that comes to mind. Whether in films from the waning days of the silent film period or through their work in short subjects and features through the 1930's, their often hilarious predicaments have burned a definite series of images in the minds and hearts of fans for over ninety years.

In the new film directed by John S. Baird, viewers are treated to that era in time but only briefly. The story of "Stan & Ollie" concerns itself with the least documented period of their careers; their British Tour of 1953. By this time, "The Boys" are years removed from their halcyon days as the top comedians in motion pictures. Away from the cameras, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy perform on the stage for fans who grew up with them and still love them.

"At the end of the day we could have tried to do exactly what they did", John C Reilly (Oliver Hardy) explained to Ross Owen who was one of the consultants on the film, "but I don't think it would've been as satisfying as what we've done which is provide a human glimpse at these two performers". I am happy to report that this is exactly what they've done.

As Laurel and Hardy, Coogan and Reilly are wonderful whether playing the men off the stage or when recreating genuine Laurel and Hardy routines. The vocal interpretations are excellent; at times you may forget when Ollie yells, it is really Reilly!

As Stan Laurel, Steve Coogan has the difficult task of going from Laurel, the creative craft-smith and business man to Stan, the thin half of the comedy duo. Stan Laurel who Dick Van Dyke once said that while the great comedians always showed their "technique", Laurel never showed his; you actually believe he is that guy.

Coogan's Laurel, an older, more weathered man is still as brilliant at coming up with material, going through the paces and rigors of his work behind the scenes yet when he is Stan on stage with Hardy, the transformation is deft and lovely. You can hardly imagine that this simple comedian is the brains behind the creating of their material.

For John C. Reilly, the moments are even more subtle. There are times during the ninety eight minutes we spend with them that you forget you are watching an actor portraying Hardy. The final years of Oliver's life were beset with illness, an image few of his fans got to see which makes this portrayal more intense and riveting. The prosthetic make up created by Mark Coulier is so well done, you will lose yourself in the performance and believe you are seeing Oliver Hardy four years before his passing.

Equally as captivating are the performances of Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as Ida Laurel and Lucille Hardy. These talented actresses worked so well together, at times it's as if we are seeing another comedy team, reminiscent of another Hal Roach duo, Anita Garvin and Marion Byron. Arianda was afforded the opportunity of hearing Ida's voice from a recording made by longtime Laurel and Hardy fan, George Mazzey; Henderson had many tapes of Lucille to work with. Both women convey the same love and protection for their respective spouses.

Rufus Jones, a self proclaimed lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy (he was a member of The Sons Of The Desert) is Stan and Babe's producer of the tour, Bernard Delfont and he's a riot as the promoter who get The Boys to do things they may not want to do with the skill of a surgeon.

While the most ardent fans of the real Laurel and Hardy will notice certain aspects of the film that don't hold to actual events as they may or may not have occurred, writer Jeff Pope has been able to condense separate events and place them together, telling the story without making the film a three hour affair.

Chock full with references that harken back to some of the classic films Stan and Babe made, these "easter eggs" do not detract the casual viewer from the proceedings. In fact, this is the perfect introduction to new viewers who may wish to seek out the treasure chest that awaits them in the Laurel and Hardy canon.

Inspired by the book about the British touring years by A.J. Marriot, the film is a genuine love story. Filled with heart, it is the little told account of the final performing years of Stan and Ollie and the wives and fans who loved them unconditionally. For people who will come to this story as newbies, they will understand the friendship and caring these men had for each other. For those who watch as lifelong fans, bring your handkerchief because this is one love story with the happy ending we've wanted to know.

I am an officer of the international Laurel & Hardy society Sons of the Desert, and I just attended a pre-release screening of the upcoming "Stan and Ollie."

Before the picture started I was thinking about older celebrity biographies that didn't work out ("The Buster Keaton Story," "The Eddie Cantor Story") and others that succeeded despite taking massive liberties with historical facts ("The Jolson Story," "The Buddy Holly Story"). Well, I thought, I'll keep an open mind and look at "Stan and Ollie" as a fictional, larger-than-life show.

Two words of advice, Laurel & Hardy fans: SEE IT.

The producers have taken extreme pains to set the scenes just so, with the decor, the props, the wardrobe, and the general atmosphere ringing true. The re-enactments of actual events are substantially accurate, but the screenwriter has juggled the chronology around for dramatic effect, so things don't happen in their actual order. The early scenes, for example, show the older Laurel & Hardy playing to small audiences in tiny theaters, and the final scenes show full houses in massive theaters -- in fact, the reverse was true, with the venues getting humbler as the years passed. At least one character is a composite of different people: Stan's self-effacing wife Ida is portrayed like one of his former wives, the strident Countess Illeana. The biggest dramatic liberty, seen in the "Stan and Ollie" trailers, has Stan and Babe arguing and battling. These scenes are well played and staged, but have no basis in fact. These scenes are more like the Martin & Lewis story, where the easygoing partner withstands the driven partner's moodiness and finally sounds off. The 97-minute feature should not be judged by these few inaccurate minutes.

We've all seen celebrity impersonations that are good, bad, or indifferent. I'm happy to report that Steve Coogan is outstanding as Stan Laurel, and John C. Reilly is astonishing as Oliver Hardy. The voices, the body language, the small gestures, the exaggerated "stage" personalities -- both actors are right on the money. This is no shallow, variety-show imitation. It's a surprisingly deep, heartfelt, and sincere portrayal of Laurel & Hardy, on stage and off.

"Stan and Ollie" opens in late December, and if you like Laurel & Hardy at all, have no fear -- you'll enjoy it. Will you recognize certain events in the story? Probably. Will you grin at the re-creations of the team's sketches? Almost certainly. But will you laugh your head off? No. This is an intimate story with only a few principals, and you might find yourself choked up more than once. Critics have called the relationship between the "Stan" and "Ollie" screen characters as the greatest love story of the movies. This new movie demonstrates it.

I hope Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly are both nominated for Academy Awards as "Best Actor" -- and I hope they both win.