31. Stan & Ollie; movie review

STAN & OLLIE
Cert 12A
98 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language

Did Oliver Hardy just come back to life? John C. Reilly's representation of the legendary comic is so good and I was so immersed in Stan & Ollie that I almost forget I wasn't watching the real Babe.
That is not to say that Steve Coogan is bad. I have reservations about Coogan off-screen but I have to say he captures Hardy's partner Stan Laurel wonderfully.
Six years ago, I lauded director Jon S. Baird for his movie Filth - one of my favourites of 2013. Stan & Ollie is a very different picture but of equal quality.
It touches briefly on their split in 1937 after a row over money with studio owner Hal Roach and then focuses on a 1953 tour of the UK.
The facts of the tour are a bit mangled (and it misses the Nottingham Christmas shows!) but lots of elements of the film are very near the mark..
For example, it is true that the pair's popularity had dwindled from the halcyon days of the 20s and 30s and that money was an issue because they didn't receive a penny from re-runs and Ollie was a heavy gambler.
Stan persuades him to go on a tour arranged by Bernard Delfont (Rufus Jones) in the lead-up to a movie he has in the pipeline.
Laurel is correctly portrayed as the business and writing brains behind the duo although his ambition often upsets people - much to his partner's dismay.
Reilly's has Hardy down to a tee as the nice bloke who is desperate to avoid confrontation but gets himself into bother by being indecisive.
But this all makes Stan & Ollie sound po-faced. Sure there are sad moments but there is also laugh-out-loud fun.
Reilly and Coogan revisit some of Laurel and Hardy's most famous, exquisitely-timed routines and it as if they are back with us.
Indeed, in my view, they have honoured their memory and I hope they have prompted audiences to return to their wonderful old movies.
Yes, Stan & Ollie is a joy - my only reservation is that I would have enjoyed it even more if it had focused on their time and the top rather than when their careers were winding down.

Reasons to watch: Great representations of two of cinema's most lovable stars
Reasons to avoid: The concentration on the end of their career rather than when it was at its height.

Laughs: Seven
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? Laurel and Hardy's famous catch phrase is not "that's another fine mess you've gotten me into" but "that's another nice mess you've gotten me into" and was first used by Oliver Hardy in The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case in 1930.

The final word - John C. Reilly: "Their comedy was broad but so was their reach, because they didn’t focus on snarky, contemporary comedy. They focused on great clown comedy, which transcends national boundaries and languages." Slash film

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