Stan & Ollie
Director: Jon S. Baird
Year Released: 2018
Rating: 1.5
Famed comedy duo Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly), at the end of their careers, go on tour in Britain (Laurel's homeland) and Ireland, but play to mostly sparse crowds since audiences have moved on to the 'next new thing' (Abbott & Costello!). Coogan and Reilly are fine as the pair - comedy, timing, hard, etc. - but there's something painfully glum about it, making it a depressing watch ... and why does every scene that's not on stage (or film) have to be some lame-ass bit? The unlikely standout in this is Nina Arianda as Stan's Russian wife Ida - her chain-smoking sassiness ("Preston Sturges use double!") is a welcome reprieve from the cornball gags (or maybe that's due to my personal preferences - I know Samuel Beckett was a fan).
