Film Forum

U.S./U.K., 2018
Directed by Jon S. Baird
Starring Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel, John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy
Approx. 98 min.

“While the pair’s vocal mannerisms are spot on (Ollie’s soft-consonant drawl in sharp contrast to Stan’s clipped staccato), it’s the physical patter that really flies, from the latter’s silent-movie eyebrows and elbows to the former’s oddly balletic clumsiness. Throughout, there’s an intriguing interplay between the performers’ real and fictional personae that lends emotional weight to the ‘stuff and nonsense’ of their act. More subtly, the familiar finger-twiddling gestures that Hardy used to hilarious effect on screen make a subtle appearance during wheedling negotiations with Roach. Later, a very public row between Stan and Ollie is heartbreakingly viewed as a comic skit by onlookers, one of whom asks pointedly: ‘Was that funny?’.” – The Guardian

Reviews

“This glimpse of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s final days as a double act is the most bittersweet of comedies, underplayed at every turn, but then, like the boys themselves, unexpectedly light on its feet.”
– Sight and Sound

“Thanks to the subtle brilliance of Reilly and Coogan, even someone who’s never heard of Laurel and Hardy would likely see how magical these two were together.”
– Chicago Sun-Times