Review: Old-fashioned and Familiar Can Be a Good Thing in 'Stan & Ollie'

Casey Campbell ‘19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
In a year when sequels and remakes continue to dominate the box office, it’s nice to see old school comedy duo Laurel and Hardy make a comeback on the big screen. In Stan & Ollie, you aren’t seeing the actual stars joking their way through slapstick acts, but it’s not far off.
The film boasts the devoted and impressively well-cast portrayal of Laurel and Hardy in the form of a lanky and oftentimes sullen Steve Coogan and a fat-suit wearing, sarcastic yet jolly John C. Reilly. It pays off handsomely. The two not only convey a decades-long friendship with sincere heart, but they fully become the comedians in almost every way. Sure, the use (and sometimes overuse) of their skits from earlier days was borderline nostalgia-baiting, but it helped in cementing just how technically impressive and genuinely funny their acts were.
What follows is the teams attempt to rekindle a flame from their earlier days, when they were universally beloved. But since fame and money are in short supply, they embark on a theatrical tour of Britain as a means to raise the funds necessary to put together their last film. Whether they can actually get that last film off the ground is another story.
Stan & Ollie is a good and warm biographical movie, where the predictable story never harms the essential message of the story. The acting is top-notch, the humor lands, and it’s hard not to care for the eponymous comedians.
Overall Grade: B
Watch The Trailer:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2zdFwgUYBg[/embedyt]