"Stan & Ollie" (Preview Screening)

Not matter what age you are, just about everyone has heard of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy. The genius of their work is perfectly illustrated by the fact that we are still watching and loving their films more than  80 years after they were made. They are up there with the absolute greats, like Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin.

To make a documentary about them would be one thing, but to actually portray them, and thus bring them to life, well that is a whole different ball game. Their quirks and mannerisms are so well known, it is not a performance that you can do half heartedly. You have to give it 100%, and then some.
And boy do John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan deliver.
I would have thought that the prospect of recreating these two comedy Icons for the big screen would be a daunting task but these two great Actors seem to have a great ease in their work. It is far from an impersonation, far more than that. They inhabit these two men, and it is just like seeing Laurel & Hardy on screen one more time.

The film mainly centres on their later years as they embark on a tour of the Theatres of Britain, whilst at the same time working on a forthcoming return to the Big Screen with a Comedy version of Robin Hood. Their relationship has been a little frosty since they went their seperate ways due to the Studio Contract system. Theatre Impresario Bernard Delfonte lures them to the UK. Times have changed, especially since the Second World War. Will the masses still come out to see a double act who best worked together almost 20 years earlier?

Naturally the tour takes its toll on Oliver's health, and on their friendship. It is a compelling look at these two giants of mirth, and it is beautifully written by Jeff Pope, and Directed by Jon S. Baird.
The team lovingly recreate some of those legendary sketches but it is thanks to the truly outstanding performances of the two lead actors. They do far more than impersonate Laurel & Hardy, they do far more than characterize Laurel & Hardy. For me they ARE Laurel & Hardy.

If you thought that "Bohemian Rhapsody" would get the title of Best biopic of the year, then think again, as it might just have been beaten.....10 out of 10