Friday’ openings redux: remembering classic comics

A final movie has been added to Friday's list of openings, one that fans of silent comedy might be interested in seeing.

"Stan & Ollie": John C. Reilly plays Oliver Hardy and Steve Coogan plays Stan Laurel in this look at the classic comic duo's final years — marked by a tour of theaters in post-World War II Britain.

Here are some critical comments:

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: "Coogan and Reilly perform the alchemist's feat of turning lead into gold, finessing all the trademark details - Laurel's puzzled head-scratching, Hardy's flirtatious tie-flipping, the duo's adorable dance moves - with skill and affection."

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: " 'Stan & Ollie…' has allowed viewers to understand what made their characters so great, and so beloved, in a film that magnanimously invites us into a world no less recognizable for being almost entirely erased."

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: "The real head-scratcher is how such an endearingly modest, gentle film can say so much with such eloquence about a professional partnership… about the mysterious business of being funny; and about the toll taken by the passage of time."

And if you need a refresher on what made the real Laurel & Hardy so great, just click on the embed below.