"Don't you pity me!"
This film chooses an interesting part of the comic duo's career - their ultimate tour of the UK in 1953 as they chase an unsuccessful film project - which throws a thoughtful spotlight on their work, lives and friendship. Setting the scene with an opening moment at their most successful time and showing the incident that created a schism in their personal and professional relationships, the time-jump forward to the twilight of their career shows the two men in very different places but with their undying friendship. Like the duo's films, Stan & Ollie is whimsical, genuine and shot through with great stabs of melancholy, all delivered through Jeff Pope's wonderful script and Jon S. Baird's clear direction. As Oliver Hardy, John C. Reilly gives one of his best performances, but Steve Coogan is awards-worthy as the open, hard-working and committed Stan Laurel. Also of note are Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as the hilarious but loving chalk-and-cheese wives ("Two double-acts for the price of one!") and an archly ripe turn by Rufus Jones as their UK agent Bernard Delfont. With peerless recreations of their craft both on-stage and reflected in real-life scenes (The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine is recreated gloriously, for example), Stan & Ollie is charming and beautifully-observed, making it a real treat of a film to watch.
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