Stan & Ollie

This one got a late awards season push and came out of nowhere with an incredible John C. Reilly (prosthetics aided) performance as movie legend Oliver Hardy. Steve Coogan is just as good as partner Stan Laurel. The film chronicles the final days in their careers as their film stardom has dwindled, and they set out on a low budget theater tour to do some of their classic bits. The tour is meant to drum up interest for a new movie, but when Hardy falls ill, they are forced to reconsider not just the tour, but their friendship. Reilly is incredible, as is the makeup, which will have you forgetting you are looking at the Step Brothers actor. He and Coogan have all of the duo’s mannerisms nailed. They recreate Laurel & Hardy moments that will bring tears to your eyes. While the story isn’t a giant or complicated one, the two actors make it feel mighty big and authentic. They almost had me wishing they would just go back and remake stuff like March of the Wooden Soldiers in their Laurel and Hardy get ups. There’s a moment where Laurel daydreams about a possible scene in a new movie featuring Reilly falling in a puddle and mimicking Hardy’s “staring at the camera” exasperation. It’s uncanny.