Stan & Ollie had its world premiere in London today and we caught a sneak peek at the Middleburg Festival...
by Nathaniel R
The original odd couple of screen comedy, Laurel & Hardy, had several familiar gestures that delighted audiences in the 1930s. Thin Brit Stan Laurel's main move was to scratch his head comically from the top, his hand like a curious clawed hat. Rotund American Oliver Hardy's sometimes did a fey little wave, hand tight against the body, the fingers doing all the wiggling work. Why these were funny to audiences at the time will possibly be a mystery to contemporary audiences.
Stan & Ollie, starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly, is a brisk well-paced movie about the legendary early-cinema comedy act in their waning days. It doesn't attempt to explain their appeal to us in 2018 but merely exists in the space between then and now...
Though the movie takes place largely in the mid '50s, that space is essentially contemporary since the duo were already a nostalgia act when the story takes place. That's not unlike the space the film occupies, crafting old movie nostalgia into drama as we watch the exhausted duo attempt a wobbly comeback which they hope will lead to another movie contract to reinvigorate their fame and fortune.
You could actually argue that Stan & Ollie is a double nostalgia act, perhaps unintentionally, since it moves and feels so much like an early 90s arthouse pic that it might have worn the Miramax logo back in the day. This is not a criticism, per se, since there's room at the movies for many styles of storytelling. But it is kind of a surprise given that it comes from Jon S baird, the director of Filth (2013) and other entertainments that are a lot less cozy than this one. But that old school approach might well be the perfect choice for this picture, since its gentle rhythms, polished if unexciting look, and predictable arcs are as comfortingly familiar as... well, as the aging entertainers of any era are to the people who grew up watching them.
Steve Coogan is the soul of the picture as Stan, the bossier and more business-minded of the famous duo. He worries acutely about their future and their legacy. John C Reilly is the heart as Ollie (fat-suited up and prosthetically modified but thankfully still expressive) who wants to be loved and is eager to please. So much so that he once betrayed Laurel to work with another comic per the studio's wishes... a old grudge that keeps popping up whenever things aren't going well.
Coogan and Reilly do fine work, with a nicely judged but never easy chemistry and we're also treated to a reminder that Reilly really can sing beautifully (hi Chicago). But the secret weapon of the movie arguably isn't Stan & Ollie, but their wives Ida and Lucille (Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson). During a party gone awry when the women bicker (they're less friends than reluctant business partners -- the business of keeping their famous spouses going), Laurel & Hardy's agent quips to confused onlookers that you get two comedy duos for the price of one. The agent isn't meant to be a voice of reason, here, but he speaks the truth.
Shirley's trademark squeak of a voice is a nice contract to her fierce protectiveness of that easy to manipulate husband of hers. And just as she did in Florence Foster Jenkins, Arianda wrings huge laughs from a small supporting role by imbuing it with big personality, expert timing and in this case surprising nuance. On the page Ida might have read like a cold and jaded harridan, but Arianda somehow imbues her with both soul and the practicality that comes with diminished dreams. It's just enough to undercut that sharp tongue and make you love her and know that she loves Stan deeply without her ever saying so. When will filmmakers give this woman the star vehicle she so richly deserves?
While Stan & Ollie is less than challenging, it's light on its feet, and doesn't overstay its welcome as it tugs at the heart strings and occassionally tickles the old school funny bone. We might have entered this biopic mimicking Laurel's signature move, scratching our heads quizzically as to why this particular biopic was made. The movie gently waves back, with an impish grin, with no real answer but just hoping to be adored anyway. It gets its wish.
Grade: B/B+
Oscar Chances: Hmmm, maybe the Globes? Oh and Best Makeup and Hair at the Oscars wouldn't be out of bounds given the visual success of John C Reilly's fattened face.