First Take: Stan and Ollie- give me some good slapstick comedy anyday

SYNOPSIS: Laurel and Hardy, the world’s most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song - a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain.

This has been a passion project for the film’s director. And it’s apparently been touted as a big awards contender too. Unfortunately… well, if you listen to the radio show, this would be the point where we play this bit of music as I begin to list the reasons why I thought Stan and Ollie didn’t deliver on the hype.

Jon S. Baird is the man who wanted to direct a project that tackles with such a big part of cinematic history, and considering his last release was the 2013 adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel Filth, the move to a more PG style doesn’t suit this director at all- that isn’t to say that some aspects of the film aren’t bad, clocking in at a nice 1 hour 38 minutes, some of Laurel and Hardy’s most iconic skits are recreated to the finest of details, and the pacing is just about OK for a film of this kind. Jeff Pope turns in a pretty decent script, and with Laurie Rose putting in some stellar work as the film’s cinematographer alongside a good score from Rolfe Kent, technically, this film is able to barely scrape through ranting territory.

But the two standout reasons why this film is able to work as an awards contender are those performances from Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly respectively. Both of them actually feel like they are Laurel and Hardy, as their attention to detail (minus a few issues with Coogan’s accent) is incredibly high- the mannerisms, the slapstick timing, and even the dynamic between them is incredibly close to the real thing. Supporting them on-screen is a cast that includes Rufus Jones, Danny Huston, Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda, and once you put all of them together, the film just doesn’t hit the high standards expected of a big Golden Globe and BAFTA contender- and that is truly a shame, as this film did have a lot of potential.

THE VERDICT

For fans of Laurel and Hardy who want to see a very well dramatised version of the pair’s final years on the touring scene, look no further- but outside of the film’s core audience, I honestly don’t know what to say. Sure, it’s stuck around in the UK box office for a while, but it is gonna start dropping from this week onwards- because it probably won’t win any awards at all.

RATING: 3/5