Directed by: Jon S. Baird
Starring: John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones, Danny Huston
The bulk of Stan & Ollie takes place sixteen years after Laurel and Hardy's heyday, when they were among the biggest box office draws in Hollywood and hanging out on yachts with other equally famous stars on weekends. In an extended tracking shot, we see Stan Laurel (Coogan) and his comic partner Oliver Hardy (Reilly) walking to the soundstage for their latest shoot. They discuss Oliver's money woes due to two divorces and losing at the track, while Stan presses Oliver to demand a raise from their tight-fisted studio head Hal Roach (Huston), who clearly doesn't appreciate their value to him. We concisely learn more about the duo in this five-minute opening shot than we would if the movie took us back to the beginning and wasted precious screen time showing us the early years.
Stan demands a raise, while Oliver tries to mollify the situation and keep whatever income he has flowing in. Hal gets rid of Stan, and teams Oliver up with another actor assuming he could interchange Laurel and Hardy and still have a hit. This is referred to disdainfully as "the elephant picture", which turned out to be a flop and pushes Laurel and Hardy into obscurity. Sixteen years later, the comic duo reunites for a British stage tour, and the sparse audiences indicate the names Laurel and Hardy don't have the drawing power they used to. Their manager, Bernard Delfont (Jones) suggests promoting themselves as business openings and judging beauty contests. Stan and Oliver balk at first, because they are Laurel and Hardy after all, and such things are beneath them, but Stan desperately wants financing for a comeback movie and thinks they should do whatever it takes to make the tour a hit.
Stan and Oliver perform their classic movie bits onstage, but there is clearly tension underneath the gags. Stan thinks Oliver was disloyal for staying with Hal Roach and teaming with someone else, while Oliver thinks Stan only cares about their brand and not him. The tour rousts up old wounds and takes a toll of Oliver's fading health, and the arrival of their respective wives doesn't help matters. Each spouse is fiercely protective of their respective husbands, and nurse some grudges of their own. But, why Stan & Ollie works so well is how much we see their affection for each other. They love each other, but can they stop being so stubborn and admit it before it's too late?
Coogan and Reilly are masterful comic actors who are not impersonating Laurel and Hardy, but embodying them in every way. They have palpable chemistry together, but each creates a distinguishable person away from their professional lives. We care about them individually and as a duo. We cringe when they perform their hearts out in front of half-empty houses who laugh heartily, but Stan and Oliver wish there were more of them in the seats. It is obvious the movie deal won't go as expected, and there is a later payoff to this subplot which hits all the right notes. You could say the same for the rest of Stan & Ollie, which transcends its biopic origins to give us a touching story with a genuine heart, and a love for its subjects.
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