Way Out West: Why Stan and Ollie Still Work

Is it worth your time?

If you have any soft spot for physical comedy, Way Out West is pretty much required viewing. It is silly, short, and moves exactly as fast as it needs to. If you hate slapstick or get annoyed by people who act like big kids, skip it. You will just be annoyed.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have this rhythm that just clicks. It is not like the frantic stuff in The Perfect Clown where everything feels like it is on the verge of breaking. Here, the jokes take their time to breathe.

There is this one moment where Stan is trying to light his thumb with a lighter, and it is honestly hypnotic. It is so small, but it says everything about his character. He is just trying to exist, and the world is making it way too hard.

The Saloon Scenes

The bad guy, played by James Finlayson, is perfect. He has that classic exaggerated scowl that makes you want to reach into the screen and push him over. Every time he gets frustrated, he does this little eye-pop thing that never gets old.

The dance number. I mean, come on. Who expected to see them dance like that in the middle of a western? It is so loose and weirdly graceful. I found myself replaying it three times just to see their feet move.

• Stan’s hat is basically a character on its own.
• The way Ollie gets stuck in the water trough—classic, but it still works.
• The mule. That mule has better comedic timing than most actors working today.

Sometimes the movie feels a bit thin, like they just needed an excuse to get to the next gag. You can feel the seams, especially when the plot tries to remind you there is a gold mine involved. Honestly, I stopped caring about the mine halfway through. Who cares about the money? It is all about how many ways they can ruin a perfectly good suit.

It is not a deep film. It is not trying to fix the world. It is just two guys in dusty hats trying to do the right thing and failing in the most spectacular way possible. Sometimes, that is exactly what you need on a Tuesday night.

The ending is a bit rushed, like the studio told them they had five minutes to wrap it up or else. But by then, you are already laughing, so who really cares?