Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Stephanie Hyam, Danny Huston, Richard Cant, Susy Kane, Rufus Jones, Sanjeev Kohli, Joseph Balderrama, Greg Canestrari, Danny Scheinmann.
History will only ever recall what the public wants to remember; a statement which seems to grow as we move further away from what was deemed traditional and into a world in which instant success and cheap exploitation of talent is lauded and cheered. It is in this unworthy scenario surely that we lose collectively the feeling and sense of wonder that encapsulates longevity, that everybody now has a chance of being seen for a minute, and then forgotten, dismissed, bring the next star in and let the nation love them for a brief explosive minute.
It was once a different place, and yet in many ways the short fuse of love was often crueller, people didn’t forget stars, they just simply faded away, sometimes only staying in the public eye if they flogged themselves half to death for the pittance of the reward due. It is in this than Stan & Ollie exemplifies a truth of performance, that people will always rush out to see you when you are the big new name, but as the years go by, you may only have those by your side that truly love you.
Much praise must go to both John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan for their astounding portrayal of the much-loved comedy duo, even if you have never had the pleasure of seeing any of their films, just one viewing of this wonderfully melancholic biopic of their later years will seize your soul and inspire you to see through the life of what it means to actually love someone platonically, no matter the gender, love is what drives us to do better, to advance the cause of a relationship, to be greater than we ever could be alone.
It is a love that is framed beautifully, not only by the two male leads, but in the actors playing their wives, Lucille Hardy and Ida Kitaeva Laurel, Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda respectively. The love for the two men binds these two women in a way that would have been almost unthinkable otherwise, two different personalities, two very distinct outlooks on what it means to be married to icons of their age, but with one thing absolutely in common, the way they enhance their husband’s reputation to the point where they intrinsically understand their need for the companionship of the other, that without Hardy, there is no Stan and visa-versa.
Whilst the duo’s name will surely always go on being the inspiration for comics and entertainers for long foreseeable future, it is only down to films like Stan & Ollie in which the memory of the two men as fallible, passionate, and creative geniuses will last; far too often the world handily forgets what joy others have brought to life, that their brand of wonder and treasure is nothing more than a relic not fit for enlightened times. And yet, as Stan & Ollie shows, the love for such art never truly fades away, it only grows fonder.
Ian D. Hall