Stan & Ollie (2018)

Directed by:Jon S. Baird | 94 minutes | biography, comedy | Actors: Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones, Danny Huston, Joseph Balderrama, John Henshaw, Tapiwa Mugweni, Keith MacPherson, Stewart Alexander, Kevin Millington, Toby Sedgwick, Rebecca Yeo, Stephanie Hyam, Kate Okello, Sanjeev Kohlic

1937. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are at the pinnacle of their success. However, that does not pay off in hard dollars. Their strangulation contract with film producer Hal Roach gives the comic duo mainly financial headaches, although the many divorces (because: alimony) and gambling addictions can also be the basis of this. ‘Stan & Ollie’ opens with a beautiful scene in which the two actors (played by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly) walk from their dressing rooms to the set, discussing what to do to make more money. The relationship between the two is immediately on edge: you can see that Oliver ‘Babe’ Hardy actually prefers to avoid conflict, but Stan Laurel dares the confrontation. As a result, his contract with the film producer is not renewed.

‘Stan & Ollie’ focuses on the last years in the spotlights of the world-famous comedy duo and makes a time jump of seventeen years after this introduction. Laurel and Hardy find themselves in England, touring British theaters, culminating in some major shows in London. Ollie is delighted, because after this tour they are going to shoot another movie, a Robin Hood spoof. Stan has everything in place, the producer – always called Muffin by Ollie (his real name is Miffin) comes to visit one of the shows and Stan is still working hard on his version of the screenplay. What Ollie doesn’t know is that the film’s financing is in jeopardy and that the intended producer has no intention of coming at all. Stan doesn’t have the heart to tell his longtime partner the truth.

When the wives come to visit the two men in London after more than a month, things quickly escalate. The tension between the two women – wonderfully played by Nina Ariande (Stan’s wife Ida Kitaeva) and Shirley Henderson (Ollie’s wife Lucille) – is reflected in the two men and a rift seems to develop. If Ollie also struggles with serious health problems, the tail of the tour will be under considerable pressure.

‘Stan & Ollie’ accurately portrays Hollywood in the 1930s and 1950s in Europe. However, the friendship and professional relationship between the two icons is central. Both John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan are very good at portraying the two comedians, but Coogan is truly phenomenal. Every glance, every twitch of the corner of his mouth, it’s impossible to take your eyes off him.

Admittedly, the course of the film may be predictable – even if you don’t know Laurel & Hardy’s life story, you know the screenplay ticks the boxes on the biopic checklist. But the film works like a charm, because the characters do what they do because their character tells them to, not because it’s in the script. The intimate moments of friendship give goosebumps and take this essentially standard Hollywood biopic to the next level. ‘Stan & Ollie’ is a warm, loving film with four great charismatic actors at their peak. Go see this, especially if you’re passionate about film history.