There are few experiences more delightful than seeing comedic teams in their element, and the history of cinema is littered with many examples of duos or troupes that collaborated consistently over the years, becoming synonymous with their respective eras and how comedy was performed and consumed at that particular point in the past, something that has become somewhat rare in the contemporary age. Not many of them managed to attain as strong of a reputation as the pairing of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who spent decades performing together and essentially defining comedy during their peak between the late 1920s and early 1940s, which was their most profitable period and the time when they were at the apex of their popularity. However, the story behind their partnership, particularly in its latter years, is much deeper and some may even argue slightly haunting, considering the trials and tribulations their iconic double-act had to endure, especially once the duo were seen as a remnant of the past. Their dynamic is captured in Stan & Ollie, in which writer Jeff Pope and director Jon S. Baird cobble together a charming and insightful biographical account of Laurel and Hardy’s final collaboration, which was a theatre tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1950s, which they did in the hopes that their past popularity will bring audiences into the seats, which they aimed to use as leverage to convince a prominent producer to fund their next film. However, when they discover that their popularity has waned to the point that filling up even the smallest and most forgotten of theatres is nearly impossible, they begin to question whether they can still bank on their iconic status, or if they are truly past their prime. A fascinating film that seamlessly blends humour and pathos in its endeavour to explore this duo as they do whatever possible to mount a comeback, Stan & Ollie is a terrific film and one of the more endearing glimpses into the backstage life of a pair of industry legends that ended their careers in a manner many may consider less than ideal.

As we’ve seen over time, the film industry adores stories that revolve around their history and ingenuity, and we find that there are frequently films made that focus on the early stages of filmmaking, particularly the Golden Age of Hollywood, where some of the most iconic performers were at their prime. It seems like the majority of people are at least somewhat aware of the existence of Laurel and Hardy since they carved a terrific niche for themselves as one of the most popular comedic duos in the history of the medium, which was helped by their constant collaborations over the years. Stan & Ollie positions itself in the image of these simple, effective biographical films, insofar as it features a straightforward story that is methodically put together, featuring recreations of a few memorable moments, which are shown in contrast to the mildly-fictionalized dramatisations of their backstage lives, which form the foundation of the film. Baird and Pope were dedicated to the very simple premise of offering viewers a glimpse into the lives of two true Hollywood icons, choosing their later years as the focus since this not only allows for more flexibility in terms of the narrative but gives the film some stakes and a sense of dramatic tension, which is the source of the main driving conflict between the titular characters. The film sets out to explore the challenges that come with being past one’s prime, how difficult it can be to realize that you are no longer at the peak of your popularity, and the journey to realizing that the best you can hope for is to be seen as a beloved relic, rather than being forgotten entirely – much of the dramatic tension throughout this film comes from Laurel and Hardy realizing that they have essentially outgrown their fawning audience, and while some may still revel in their antics from the past, there isn’t much of an audience for them at the time, which is the fickle nature of fame, something that this film sets out to explore in vivid detail through using these two legendary comedians as the basis for a revealing and fascinating work.

However, Stan & Ollie is not entirely dependent on the discourse around fame, since there could be variations of this story told with just about any iconic actor that fell out of favour for one reason or another. Instead, the aspect that ties everything together and allows this film to flourish into something truly special is the theme of friendship, which is ultimately the central concept that is being explored, just filtered through the more obvious lens of a historical drama about the two main characters attempting to work through their problems to find a pleasant solution, by any means. The reason the Laurel and Hardy partnership was so fruitful and notable is because of the incredible friendship they shared behind the scenes. Not without its fair share of conflict and argument, and some tension lingered between them during this period, brought on by a difference of opinion earlier in their career over the subject of starting their own company rather than being part of the studio system, which is one of the central points that the film gravitates towards when developing the story and showing their tumultuous journey, albeit one that ultimately did have more love behind it than mere professional courtesy. Stan & Ollie, as the informal nature of the title would suggest, is a very playful examination of the friendship between these two men, as shown through their efforts to work through some disconcerting challenges, which they only manage to overcome when they come together. The film is something slightly heavy-handed, and it can veer towards the sentimental on a few too many occasions, but it is mainly a solid and well-crafted account of their life, one that does manage to avoid becoming too overwrought, and which finds the right balance between showbusiness satire and friendship drama, the two existing in tandem and informing much of the film’s very charming but insightful tone, and which eventually flourishes into such a delightfully heartfelt story of these two men doing their best to make the most of the twilight years of their careers, which they know will never be the same, but which also never deters them from putting in the effort to remind the world of their brilliance.

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to making a film centring on highly-recognized icons is that casting is critical but extremely difficult, especially when dealing with characters that are both visually recognizable and famous for their particular mannerisms, voices and overall personalities, which can be difficult to replicate, usually requiring these films to become instances of mimicry more than acting. This is where we find Stan & Ollie is most effective since it doesn’t expend too much energy on casting actors who look identical to the two titular characters, but rather have enough of a passing resemblance to be able to portray them, and where the most substantial transformation comes in the details of their performance. Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly play Laurel and Hardy respectively, and both are terrific – Reilly is enshrouded in layers of prosthetics, but yet his warmth and charm shine through, with the makeup existing solely to transform him visually into the delightfully rotund Hardy, whose distinctive appearance was part of their image. Coogan has less physical work done but still manages to perfectly embody the spirit of Laurel, particularly in showing how he was essentially the person fighting tooth-and-nail to keep their partnership active and profitable, being the natural manager of their comedy and the person whose journey is most heartfelt throughout the film. Both actors are terrific and prove that they can be both funny and dramatic when the film calls for it, which is surprisingly often. It’s often been said that the best dramatic actors are those who have mastered the art of comedy, and Stan & Ollie uses two terrific comedians to portray these iconic actors, allowing them to be developed into fully-dimensional, complex individuals that run the emotional gamut and serve as the basis for a truly terrific film that brings out the best in them both as actors, a rare but worthwhile achievement that this film manages to explore with such incredible precision, helped along by the actor’s thorough commitment to bringing these roles to life on screen.

Stan & Ollie is a film that may not redefine the medium or offer anything we haven’t seen many times before, but it is still a solid, well-crafted work that combines different tones and oscillates between comedy and drama in its attempts to provide a thorough account of the final act of arguably one of Hollywood’s finest comedic duos, whose backstage antics and experiences make for an oddly captivating film that is as heartfelt as it is melancholy, the various qualities working on tandem to weave a meaningful account of their final collaboration. The film walks a narrow tonal tightrope, aiming to be as funny and gently entertaining as the original comedy films (and the recreations of their film and stage acts are genuinely hilarious, with a lot of work going into accurately replicating the original performances), while also being a heartfelt story of a friendship forced to weather some truly brutal storms as they come to slowly realize how they have essentially started sinking into obscurity. Baird is a reliable director who can adapt to any material, which is why his small handful of films show him to be a strong journeyman filmmaker, while Pope’s screenplay is informative and detailed enough to give us all the information, but also laced with genuine emotional pathos which anchors the film. The two leading performances are some of the actors’ best work, and the entire film is bound to their impeccable and heartfelt performances. In every respect, Stan & Ollie is a film that is mostly playing in a minor key, doing everything we would expect and hitting the same narrative and tonal targets, but doing so in a way that is defined by its panache, elegance and humour, which create a delightful and moving comedy with a lot of unique elements, and a genuinely lovely sense of curiosity for these iconoclastic characters and the various challenges they encountered over their long but legendary careers.