This film will be available in subscription on 5 January

Stan & Ollie PG rating

Steve Coogan and John C Reilly give delightful performances as Laurel & Hardy - comedy’s most famous double act - as they enter their twilight years.

Biopic 2019 98 mins

Director: Jon S. Baird

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Overview

It 1953, and with their stardom in decline, Laurel and Hardy begin a tour of British music halls. With unexpectedly modest bookings and cramped guesthouses, things start off subdued, but a series of TV guest spots rekindles public interest as they head towards a big London finale. As attention builds, so too do old resentments, coming to a head when they’re joined by “the wives”, Lucille and Ida.

Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly’s brilliance as physical comedians is well known, but they are a revelation here: nailing body language, mannerisms and routines the duo would have known in their sleep after decades performing together. Working from a script by regular Coogan collaborator Jeff Pope, Jon S. Baird’s film is a poignant study of lifelong male friendship and a fitting tribute to two of cinema’s comedy giants.

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