Directed by Jon S. Baird
Where & When: Arclight Cinemas. Hollywood, CA. January 7, 2019 4:45 PM
Laurel & Hardy were a popular Hollywood comedy team who began during the early silent film era and enjoyed success until the early 1950's. This is where the sturdy yet undernourished dramatization, "Stan and Ollie" begins as the men are trying to revive their flagging careers with a live tour throughout England. The director Jon. S. Baird captures some of the duo's comic routines and wacky charm that made audiences fall in love with them but there isn't much of a compelling story to make this loving tribute appealing, particularly to a younger generation who probably have never seen their comedies. We have Steve Coogan playing Stan Laurel and John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy who, with the assistance of exceptional make-up created by Mark Coulier, deliver absolutely amazing, pitch-perfect performances as these comic legends.
Hal Roach, the early Hollywood producer who is best known for the "Our Gang" comedy shorts, is responsible for bringing Laurel & Hardy together. Each actor was under individual contract with Roach's studio and appeared in many of his productions until he decided to team them up in 1927. Laurel & Hardy went on to make over one hundred shorts and feature films together. And Roach was the reason why the team had a brief yet bitter break-up.
The film begins in 1937 with Laurel not wanting to renew his contract with Roach (played by Danny Huston) as he refused to properly compensate them financially despite Laurel & Hardy's worldwide fame. Stan wanted Ollie to join him but he was still committed to Roach under a separate contract. So Laurel leaves the studio and Hardy is paired with another actor in a movie, creating some tension between the the comedy team.
Years later in 1953, Laurel convinces Hardy to participate in performing live at several small halls until they can begin shooting their comeback film which will be a spoof on Robin Hood. The tour proves to be grueling and they are playing to near empty rooms. Their theatrical manager, Bernard Delfont (Rufus Jones) doesn't seem to make the team a top priority as he is more interested in his new, younger client.
But the situation turns around when Delfont suggests something fairly obvious; the boys need to get out and promote that they are on the road with a show. So Laurel and Hardy begin appearing in newsreels, judging wacky contests and even the arrival of their wives to London becomes an entertaining photo-op. And soon the venues start filling up with enthusiastic crowds.
Stan and Ollie had chosen to not speak about their falling out years ago while on this tour but it soon becomes unavoidable. Their ultimate blow-up, long-simmering over money and business betrayal, feels slight, no more important than a marital squabble. And that is the major problem with "Stan and Ollie". There isn't much noticeable tension between the men and the script lacks a significant motivation for this particular story needing to be told. The film is a little too leisurely paced and Baird, while he does a competent job as a director, is unable to breakout of the overly familiar beats of a biopic. But "Stan and Ollie" looks great thanks to the impressive camerawork of Laurie Rose and the period perfect details of the production design by John Paul Kelly and costumes by Guy Speranza.
With the appearance of the women in these men's lives, "Stan and Ollie" finally gets some much needed juice. We have Oliver's wife, Lucille (Shirley Henderson), a former script girl he met on one of his movies who may be small and shrill yet will be heard especially when it comes to the welfare of her frail husband. Then there is Ida Kitaeva (an excellent Nina Arianda), Stan's spouse, a former Eastern European actress who freely speaks her mind and does not suffer fools gladly. These very different women are hardly friends and simply just tolerate each other. But they both realize, much like their husbands, that they must endure a civil relationship with each other in order for the business partnership to run smoothly.
“Stan and Ollie” doesn’t offer anything particularly fresh or interesting to say about Laurel & Hardy, in fact the film is a fairly predictable dramatic exercise. Perhaps the goal was to simply put a warm spotlight on this largely forgotten comedy team. Yet the film’s focus is almost entirely on the time when the men were near retirement age and ill health while audiences had moved on to newer screen stars. We barely see the men in their glory days and sadly watch as they struggle to get people to pay attention as they do their classic comedy bits. I must admit I was never much of a fan of Laurel & Hardy (I personally preferred the edgier Abbott & Costello) but I certainly think they should be recognized for their comedic gifts and contribution to cinema. It's just that "Stan and Ollie" does not give them fully the proper honor they deserve.
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