Stan & Ollie

An incredible performance by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, who not only made Laurel and Hardy on stage, but 100% inhabited them as real people and real friends. What they perform reliably distracts the viewer from the not-so-revealing story (though I was very pleased that the film only addresses the decline of their careers) and is quite moving in the end. How beautiful it is. (2019-10-26)

Stan & Ollie is a nice nostalgic film that rides on well known patterns, but it’s only for fans who are very familiar with the work of the legendary duo and want to know as much as possible about their private lives. But even they are likely to be a little disappointed, because, other than the slogan “friendship above everything” and the bitter portrayal of the fact that nobody used to show much respect for the retired stars of the silver screen, the story doesn’t have much to offer. As someone who didn’t grow up with the movies of Laurel and Hardy and wanted to get to them eventually, I have to say that this film, as likeable and viewer friendly as it is, wasn’t able to motivate me very much to watch them. (2019-03-20)

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly seem to have been born for the roles of Laurel and Hardy. Their acting performances are pure genius. Too bad that the story is not as great. It is a proof of the fact that a good craftsmanship and great acting cannot save a mediocre script no matter how hard you try. Sometimes it was simply boring. However, I got drawn into the story of the two comedians and got the impressions that they were both really cool guy. So if there is another similarly conceived movie from their world one day, I’d like to see it. (2019-10-30)

I remember watching a show on TV with the best of early slapstick comedy, and Laurel and Hardy were my absolute favorite. That's why I was excited about this biographical film, but... On the one hand, I really liked the film. Steve Coogan (although I’m not very fond of him) and John C. Reilly gave great performances. The film had atmosphere and portrayed the decline of fame really well. On the other hand, I was disappointed because I thought I would learn much more about the comedian duo. Anyway, I didn’t feel like going below four stars, because I had a great time. (2019-08-05)