I grew up watching Laurel and Hardy films. My sons loved watching tapes of them on our old VCR. So my take is bound to be subjective.
My son and I loved this movie - Steve Coogan and John C. Riley literally became Stan and Ollie. The movie was a labor of love and it was absolute art. The whole production team pulled together to make this movie a wonderful experience. The supporting actors were really excellent. We appreciate that this move was made.