| It was with a certain amount of trepidation that I sat down to watch Stan & Ollie. I consider them comic geniuses and I wasn’t sure whether their magic could be captured on film using other actors. Set largely in 1953, the reunited pair, with their Hollywood heyday well behind them embark on a UK theatre tour to raise their profile whilst they wait for a new movie deal to come together. None of my fears were realised. John C Reilly and especially Steve Coogan perfectly capture the essence of their characters, with their mannerisms and speech patterns without resorting to pure impersonations. At times, such as the early part of their tour when the audience numbers were poor, and when a long held grievance threatens to break up their relationship once and for all, I found the film really moving. But there are also moments, when the pair kick new material around or when they nail a scene on stage that it is pure joy. Anyone who has a fondness of the comic duo, or who is interested in the entertainment scene of the period will be sure to get a lot of pleasure from Stan & Ollie. As well as the 2 leads, Shirley Henderson and Nina Ariadne are a hoot as their wives, making a fine comic pair themselves. It makes a lot of sense dramatically to focus on the end of their careers, something that writer Jeff Pope distills brilliantly. My only real criticism is that I would loved to have seen more of them at their peak. We get some moments from the filming of Way Out West early in the film, including one impressive tracking shot through a studio backlot from director John S Baird. That may well be because I’m a bit of a geek for films of the 30s and 40s and I wouldn’t want that instead of the story presented here, so I guess I am saying that I wish the film was longer. That’s not something I say often in this day of the bloated blockbuster! Other than that early shot, 2 other stand out moments are a recreation of the iconic hospital visit scene from County Hospital, and a very poignant moment when the guys talk after Ollie announces his retirement. A moment that brought a real lump to my throat, in a film that was also full of laughs. Rating: 9 out of 10 If Stan & Ollie piques your interest in the comic pairing, then the film gives you a good guide to what you should seek out. Along with Sons of the Desert, Way out West is their finest feature length film. Of their many shorts, County Hospital may well be the best, and the Oscar winning The Music Box their most famous, but I’d also recommend:- The Hoose-Gow that sees the pair in prison The boys are buskers in Below Zero In Hog Wild, chaos ensues when they fix an aerial to the roof- The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case finds them with their lives in danger in a creepy house Taking care of a dog in Laughing Gravy Stan helps Ollie clean up after a party in Helpmates In Any Old Port, Stan ends up in a boxing ring Ollie tries to recover from a bout of gout in Them Thar Hills |