Stellar cast and crew do iconic duo proud
Playing real-life stars is often a formidable task for actors, but when filling the sizeable shoes of icons like Laurel and Hardy it must be doubly daunting.
But Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly more than rise to the challenge of evoking the presence and charisma of the legendary duo.
Stan & Ollie marks a change of pace for Scottish director Jon S. Baird, following on from previous big screen outing Filth.
The Aberdeenshire-born helmer wisely lets his co-leads take the reins and has his camera linger over every uncertain look, infectious smile and virtuoso stage performance.
Coogan and Reilly do a splendid job conveying the complex relationship between the long-term friends during a difficult period in their professional lives.
Prosthetics, make-up and contact lenses help both look the part, with many a double take needed with Coogan in particular to establish it isn’t Stan Laurel himself on screen.
It’s far from a two-man show, though, as Nina Arianda (Ida Kitaeva Laurel) and Shirley Henderson (Lucille Hardy) are both fantastic as the duo’s wives, Danny Huston (Hal Roach) lends the movie a smarmy presence and Still Game’s Sanjeev Kohli pops up as manager of the famous Glasgow Empire venue.
Writer Jeff Pope follow his BAFTA-winning and Oscarnominated work on Philomena with a story that focuses on several key moments between the titular pair and showcases the complicated, fickle nature of fame; when the duo argue, it resonates to the point of making you fear the film itself may come to a standstill.
Showing obvious affection and appreciation for two of the best comedy geniuses of all time, the cast and crew of Stan & Laurel are a credit to their inspirational source material; you’ll struggle to enjoy a more warm, touching trip to the flicks all year. Evan Peters once again proves he’s one of the finest young actors around in a tense crime-thriller that blurs the line between fact and fiction.
It’s brash, bold and brilliant.