Stan and Ollie

Stan and Ollie 2019

Directed by Jon S Baird. This is only his third feature film; the other two were Cass in 2008 and Filth in 2013 which although did poorly in the cinemas I thought was a great small budget film and worth checking out if you’ve not seen it.

Once the world’s favourite double acts, but now diminished by age, their golden era a distant memory The ageing comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy now in the twilight years of their fame set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953.

My earliest memories of watching (non cartoon) comedy as a child was watching Laurel and Hardy films on the BBC, I think they were on Saturday afternoons or Sunday mornings . I was too young really but I remember thinking they were brilliant. When I first saw the trailer I was nonplussed but after thinking about it and those memories (which were long forgotten about) came back I had to go and see it.

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly were brilliant and seeing them portray the double act put a massive smile on my face, it felt like putting on well worn but comfy dressing gown. Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson play the duos wives and they were on point too, Arianda in particular as the very matter of fact and tough talking Ida Laurel whose softness shines through whenever her husband needs the moral support. There is a melancholy feel to the film that muted my smile as we see the ageing pair travel around Britain struggling to fill halls and keep their relationship together.

This film may not be for everyone, as the source material isn’t for everyone, and I was the youngest in the cinema by a fair way for my showing. It may also fall short because for me there was a little too much of the slapstick in-character duo and not quite enough of them being themselves but when they were it was acting of the highest calibre. Coogan has always been underrated in my opinion and Reilly is better then I’ve ever seen him.

The positives for me way outweighed the negatives and I really enjoyed myself. It was a beautifully shot, well acted movie that brimmed with nostalgia.