Review: Stan & Ollie

It’s the early 50s, which means it's been a long time since Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C Reilly) were at their Hollywood peak. But Stan - the brains and drive behind the team - has a plan: a series of live performances across the UK to build interest in a film version of Robin Hood with them as the leads. That’s fine with the easy-going Oliver, even though his health isn't exactly at its best.

The tour gets off to a shaky start.  Shabby hotels, tiny venues, small crowds: this isn't exactly what either of them signed up for. So they start doing a bit of self-promotion, and it turns out their fanbase isn't quite dead yet. But as sales increase, so does the pressure. Their partnership has some not-so-hidden fault lines from a betrayal (Ollie did a movie without Stan) at the height of their fame; are they even going to reach the end of their final tour? 

The story is fine but forgettable; it’s the performances that stand out. Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson are excellent as Stan and Ollie’s wives (who arrive halfway through the tour), providing some interesting new angles on the main duo while being interesting characters in their own right.

Often with biopics what's really being sold is the impression of the main character(s) - the story is barely there (there's a reason why Walk Hard was able to nail all the musical biopic cliches so well), and is usually little more than a recreation of their big moments. To some extent that's fine: the chance to see some much-loved, now-dead performer one more time is far from the most ghoulish thing Hollywood is peddling. But if the performance isn't up to scratch, there's not much of a movie left.

Good news: both Coogan and Reilly are spot-on physically and vocally throughout without ever veering into parody. While no doubt both men were more nuanced that they're portrayed here, both performers are utterly convincing at conveying their core attributes. Coogan is the nervous striver still pushing himself, Reilly is the jovial fellow who feels it's time to finally relax and enjoy what he's achieved in life.

Their friendship, flawed though it may be, is the emotional heart of this film. Around that, both offstage and on, this is full of classic comedy bits skillfully and hilariously performed; thankfully the drama is largely in service to the comedy, not the other way around.

- Anthony Morris