DVD Review - Stan & Ollie

The "Stan" from the title is Stan Laurel, an English comic actor who came out of the British music hall tradition. The "Ollie" from the title is Oliver Hardy, an American comic actor who came out of the United States vaudeville tradition. Both appeared in Hollywood productions during the silent film era. They started working together as a comedic duo starting in 1927, becoming known collectively as Laurel and Hardy. There were other comedic duos but Laurel and Hardy rose to be the biggest, most successful or most popular, comedic duo in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jeff Pope (Philomena) adapted this film from a book about their final years working together, which was only a couple of years before Hardy's death. Their final years working together consisted of a tour through the U.K. where they performed live on stage doing slapstick routines, jokes, songs and other gags. However, this tour contained a little bit of behind-the-scenes tension between the pair. This tension supposedly originated during a contract dispute a few years prior. It results in a misunderstanding and essentially a lie that will test the friendship of the two or lack thereof.

Steve Coogan (Philomena and The Trip) stars as Stan Laurel, an actor who can sing and dance, as well as come up with and do comedic bits. He's a writer in that regard and by 1937, he's at his height. He's in a dispute though with their long-time producer, Hal Roach. Stan doesn't feel appreciated and wants out of his contract with Hal. He wants to sign a new contract at a Hollywood studio. He also wants his stage and screen partner to come with him, but his partner doesn't show up.

John C. Reilly (Chicago and Boogie Nights) co-stars as Oliver Hardy or Ollie, an actor who is just as talented as Stan but doesn't write. He defers to Stan to come up with new bits or gags for them to do. This contributes possibly to him not wanting to end his contract with Hal and go to a new studio. He doesn't really articulate this. How his career diverged with Stan's isn't really clear either. The film merely jumps from 1937 where the two were at their height to 1953 when they were literally on their last legs, as they were doing what would be their final tour and Ollie's health was on the decline.

Director Jon S. Baird dutifully and diligently recreates the time period utilizing historical locations very well and capturing the perfectly crafted sets very well too. His only flourish is at the beginning with a long, continuous take, but other that, his film is traditional, period-piece stuff. Most of the charm of this film is the performances from Coogan and Reilly. Both have to recreate some of the slapstick and physical gags of Laurel and Hardy, as it would be performed on stage.

Those minor slapstick and physical gags are funny, but they're not as funny as when you see the actual Laurel and Hardy perform them in their short films for example. Arguably, the two men as portrayed here are older and not as nimble or energetic. Watching them here isn't going to be as entertaining as watching the real Laurel and Hardy. Despite the amount of time spent on it, this movie isn't really about the slapstick or the gags. It's about the emotion of the men and the state of their relationship.

The state of their relationship is in question. Are Stan and Ollie truly friends or are they just co-workers? There have been tons of films about camaraderie between men. Yes, Stan and Ollie are both straight, but an argument could be made for something deeper and more intimate. It's also great anytime that a film can tell a story of men being in love with each other regardless of their sexuality. There's a shot of the two men in bed together. The final shot is of the two men even holding hands. Despite the origin not being what it seems, Stan calls Ollie "babe." Coogan has played gay characters before in Happy Endings (2005) and Ideal Home (2018). I'm not implying that Baird is implying homosexuality here. I'm just saying that this film could be considered a romantic-comedy but one between two men. It's lovely in that regard.

Rated PG for some language and smoking.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 37 mins.