The two men each played but a single character from the time they were first paired. They did this by maintaining their physical comedic style but by slowly adding to their repertoire by inserting dialog here and there in a way that resembled adding some extra spice to an already delicious stew. They managed a feat that few in their business could do – they expertly navigated the transition from silent film to the talkies. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were one of the great comedy teams of all time. Today it seems to be Buster Keaton and maybe Charlie Chaplin who command the most attention among the early film comics. Now they seem to be ignored while John Coltrane and his ilk get most of the love. Take classic jazz – thirty years ago players like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were in. And the plot of this film aside, it reminded me of the genius that Laurel & Hardy put on film.Įverything goes in cycles, even among old things. Reilly) simply nail their performances, right down to recreations of some of the pair’s most famous comedy bits.
I have seen a good number of biopics but never have I seen one where an actor (let alone two of them) portray a character so thoroughly that it is like watching the actual person. The actors did a fabulous job of portraying their characters.
The film is biographical and focuses on a time in the early 1950’s when the aging comedy legends were struggling for relevance and trying to get one more movie made. Although I am no movie reviewer, I do know a little something about Laurel & Hardy. The movie itself was excellent and I would urge each of you to seek it out. One recently showed up in our mailbox that opened a wellspring of emotions – the 2018 film called Stan & Ollie. There are streaming services, there is Redbox, and we still get DVDs in the mail through our Netflix subscription. Though we occasionally go to a theater for a first-run film, most of our movies are seen at home.