A film based not on the famous comedy duo’s career highlights, but on Laurel & Hardy’s twilight years. Touring round theatres and music-halls in post-war Britain, still trying to make a few bucks off the old act to pay alimony payments to their ex-wives and keep their current wives in the style to which they’ve become accustomed; trying to conjure interest in a nascent film project when the competition is younger & fitter but just not as funny – it doesn’t sound the most sympathetic backdrop to a feelgood movie, yet that’s what it definitely turns out to be. A gentle, and entertaining homage to two well-loved movie entertainers showing their affection for each other, their love of their work and the pleasure obtained from well-earned applause at the end of a show. There are snatches of anger, disappointment, and frustration where we see the stress of a long professional relationship putting pressure on the pair in different ways, but this tension is soon dispelled when they get onstage and joyfully relive moments of glory from the past. Coogan & Reilly’s performances are masterful, and delightful at the same time.
Director: Jon S. Baird
Cast: Steve Coogan, John C. Riley, Shirley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones
Prime and YouTube
1 hour 38 min
