Steve Coogan | Craig's Movie Report

Viewed – 16 January 2019 Cinema

It seems long overdue a movie being done of the classic comedy duo Laurel & Hardy. I vaguely recall catching either old movies or shorts on TV as a kid and loving their rather innocent and charming approach to often slapstick humour. Both of them had a great personality that worked well together, and seeing anything they did even now still raises more than a few chuckles. There is something timeless about them that I think unlike many other acts like Charlie Chaplin or the Three Stooges, hasn’t aged all that badly.

This movie follows the comedy duo as they reunite after a period of retirement to do a tour around England and Ireland in an attempt to finance a new movie. However following an incident during the height of their career, it soon becomes obvious there’s some bad blood between them. Steve Coogan and John C Reilly take on the rather intimidating task of bringing such figures to life and I am both happy and amazed to say they achieve it to an incredibly uncanny level. Coogan nails the expressions, the mannerism and even the walk of Stan Laurel and Reilly is just perfect as Hardy despite some prosthetic make up effects (which are done brilliantly). The relationship between the two is perfectly observed, touching, a little sad but also amiable and funny. You get a good idea who these guys really were and how they both respected each other, at times loathed each other but ultimately loved each other. Set mostly in England you get none of the Hollywood glamour and more so the has-been stage of their lives, of two stars struggling to hold onto the magic and keep themselves relevant. A squabbling duo of wives adds some fun personality, a money hungry agent also adds flavour and overall this is a charming and fascinating movie.

As a Laurel & Hardy fan I would have appreciated more of a glimpse into how they came to be, or just a snap shot of their fame. The focus on the later part of their career makes for a good story that granted, tugs at the heart strings … but as much as I really enjoyed this, I came away feeling it wasn’t the full package – especially for those unfamiliar with their legacy Otherwise a heart-warming, funny and brilliantly acted look at two comedy legends.

Verdict: 4 /5

Viewed – 28 Feb 2009 Blu-ray

I like Ben Stiller, as although I don’t consider him a laugh-out-loud funny actor on a par with Jim Carey at his best or Steve Martin when he was funny, he remains a likable screen presence elevating otherwise run of the mill fair like Meet The Parents to classic status.

This directorial and star outing for him seems his most ambitious film yet with some big names filling out the cast with Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Nick Nolte and even Tom Cruise. Following the story of a maverick director (Steve Coogan) intent on making the best Vietnam War movie ever, the big pull here is that the actors suddenly find themselves faced with a real conflict involving Vietnamese drug dealers, who think the actors are real U.S. marines. A great concept, I’m sure you’ll agree, and with no small amount of big-budget action and some tongue-in-cheek references to classic war movies thrown in, this is great entertainment.

Ben Stiller plays a past-his-best action movie star that is an obvious stab at the 80s reliance of be-muscled no-brain action icons, and is an interesting if rather pathetic creation. Jack Black’s drug-addled comedy actor is quite simply irritating and out of place, but the casting is saved by a superb Robert Downy Jr as the method thesp who has had his skin colour changed to play a grizzled black Sergeant … and is a gag that never wears thin. Tom Cruise lends support as a loud mouthed media mogul, all bald head, hairy chest and flab, and is obviously Cruise trying to reach out to a wider audience … but his comedy is over the top and rather embarrassing.

Thankfully the action and pace of this is fairly unrelenting and there are some priceless moments. For a NAM movie it looks superb, represented vividly on Blu-ray and is worth having in your collection as an ‘impress your friends’ disc when wanting to show off your system. Some of the humour may feel a bit stretched at times, but the characters on a whole make for a likable team of fish-out-of-water buddies up against impossible odds.

Verdict: 3 /5