Stan & Ollie (2018)

 

Laurel and Hardy, the world's most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song.

A melancholy, at times even sad rendering of the duo's final tour together projects the Laurel & Hardy antagonism that worked so well for their comedy onto the their true-life relationship; very well made with good period detail, and Coogan and Reilly are nearly perfect personifying Stan and Ollie.

Philomena (2013)

A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.

Heartbreaking story about a personal tragedy is told with subtlety and wit and a true sense of the drama of everyday life; the two leads, but Judi Dench especially, give extraordinarily convincing performances.

Maltin***: "Wrenching real-life drama is told with restraint and even humor. Dench's warmth suffuses the film, and the script (cowritten by Coogan) never becomes mawkish."