There is a distinct lack of respect and recognition with the
younger viewing generations when it comes to film. Where baby boomers embraced
what had come before holding film festivals and retrospectives of past
achievements today’s youth embraces only that which they are familiar with,
films that have come out since they’ve been alive or that perhaps their parents
knew. In so doing they rob themselves of a vast treasure of some of the
greatest films and moments captured on film. It is the love of the past that
inspired film makers to take the story of perhaps the greatest comedic team of
all time and turn it into a movie, STAN & OLLIE.
Opening in 1937 as the duo are in the midst of making the
film WAY OUT WEST, we see them walk the lot talking personal lives and
business. Stan Laurel’s (Steve Coogan) contract with Hal Roach (Danny Huston)
is about to run out and he wants more money for the work he puts in. Oliver
Hardy’s (John C. Reilly) contract still has time and Roach holds him to it.
Only if they remain united will they get what’s coming to them.
Years pass and it is now 1953. The fame that once had them
at the top of the film industry has now dissipated and Laurel & Hardy are
about to set out on a tour of theaters to perform live in England. Expecting
the best they are surprised to discover that their booking agent Bernard
Delfont (Rufus Jones) has promised more than he could deliver. Staying in cheap
motels and playing in smaller venues they carry on.
With little to no promotion Delfont convinces the team that
to draw in bigger crowds they need to do what they can to help promote the
show, at no extra pay of course. The boys agree and are soon doing store
openings and public service gatherings across England. But their efforts work
and soon the theaters they are playing in are sold out, bigger venues are
booked and their reputations regain some stature.
Through it all Stan has been working on a script he has in
mind based on Robin Hood, a film that would feature the pair doing what they do
best. Promised a potential deal by a producer named Mifflin he calls at each
stop, unable to reach the reclusive producer. Finally when in London he goes to
the man’s office to find out where they stand. Where does the future of Stan
& Ollie lay?
The movie tells a wonderful story that will have you
laughing at classic routines from the pair as performed by the stars, tell the
tragic story of what happened to many of the stars from that time period who
were left behind by studios who continued to reap profits from their labors
when TV came along and who did what they could to carry on. What makes this
story so special is that while the pair had their outs and weren’t particularly
social with one another, they loved one another as only two partners together
for years could.
Coogan and Reilly are amazing in their roles here. Both
looks astoundingly like the men they are playing, in part due to the
prosthetics in use but more in their ability as actors to bring life to the
roles. In particular Reilly is jaw dropping here. While Remi Malek was hailed
for his performance as Freddie Mercury, both men here turn in performances I
felt were far more incredible.
The surrounding characters in the film are also of note
here. Delfont is keen on the pair but at the same time constantly promoting his
other major act Norman Wisdom, a popular comedian at the time in England but
who was nowhere near as influential as Laurel & Hardy. Shirley Henderson as
Ollie’s wife Lucille is wonderful here showing the caring woman he eventually
ended up with after 2 divorces. Nina Arianda as Ida Laurel also does an amazing
job, a woman who loves her husband but still longs to relive her glory days on
stage at the same time. Like Hardy, this
was not Laurel’s first wife but his fourth until he passed away.
The movie serves as a commentary on how we treat these icons
of the past on today’s world. While the images of the pair are familiar few
today know the work that they did or have seen their films. All are available
on disc and yet the rush to collect their works is nothing major. In a world
where the cruelest and crudest of jokes have become the norm a simple gesture
or look can inspire the deepest laugher from both of these men.
When the film ends there is a certain amount of nostalgia
that will creep in for those who grew up with Laurel & Hardy. It will
inspire many to seek out their work and watch it. Let’s hope it inspires
younger viewers to become part of that group.
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