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"Reduced Shakespeare version of the decline and fall of England"

Written By: Rerevisionist

Backhandedly realistic.

[1] Richard E Grant's autobiography shows his life was not entirely unlike this film, though he was luckier than Withnail - this film had the same effect LOTR had on Elijah Wood. Grant did the filmic version of dining out on it forever after.

The plot barely exists: 'resting' actor gets a part, his friend doesn't. Grant got the part presumably because of his ability to act a sort of decayed English aristocrat - actor's voice, piercing blue eyes, tall upright posture - with good manners if he wants to switch them on. His indignation on being slighted - "how DARE you!" - is made absurd by his lack of power. "I've only had a few ales!" - "Look here, my cousin's a QC!" Faced with a difficult situation, paralysing fear floods up inside him.

[2] The other characters are minor, and in their way reflect decline: his friend, 'I', seems to me utterly uninteresting as an actor. Richard Griffiths as the queer uncle - books, cat, stuffed settee, Schubert, token theatricals, and 'the Dane' - lives on money of unspecified source, possessor of capital with no aim in life - unless you count trying to bugger young men without checking whether they're interested. The Camberwell carrot chap reflects a part of that era - the silly business ideas, the weird UFO style ideas such as razor blades sharpened by pyramids, the drugs. The pointless rural types have lifestyles which are 'irrelevant' to everything - no wonder the word 'irrelevant' became intransitive. The absurd immigrant, black Jamaican I think, courtesy of Heathrow, makes inappropriate chants of "rama" (possibly to save money contractually). The alcoholic pub owner with no doubt fake quarter-century old second world war memories. All are at sea while the political and economic vultures circle. They have no interest in the external world. Angus Wilson's novels showed 1950s British intellectuals saying nothing much, and this was acute observation. Certainly it applies here.

[3] The film has a claustral feeling, of money saved by maximising interior shots. The built environment where it's shown is universally decrepit. The lincrusta in the hall below the dado rail looks absurd. A wrecking ball scene shows Victorian brick houses being demolished. The pubs are seedy; the greasy spoon is seedy; the people if possible seedier. The 'Mother Red Cap' must presumably have been genuine, though I don't recall it, its IRA graffiti the only political reference in the entire film, unless you count the junk news headlines. Compendium Books isn't shown - pity. The Penrith tea room I think is genuine, though the staff in the film could not have been. Incidentally the more or less derelict farm is Sleddale Hall, near Shap, Cumbria; apparently it's still more or less derelict.

[4] I noticed George Harrison's mate Richard Starkey MBE had some input, as did Steadman - the Withnail logo, no doubt. I thought the sound track was surprisingly weak given the possibilities from 1969. I couldn't help noticing there's a footstep editor, and someone called 'Shaun, the wardrobe mistress'. I know nothing about Paul Heller. The film could be regarded as a vignette showing an American or perhaps Jewish view of an England laid low.

[5] The caricature element is the only way the film gets its effects. Drunk driving and variations on the theme of an almost unusable car with fake tyre squeals. Inability to make food. "Young people take drugs without understanding what harm they can do" - a doctor told me, commenting on the incredible stupidity of taking dangerous stuff. Non-stop drugs, booze, and lack of food are shown as having little physical effect. Withnail down lighter fuel at one point - in fact, it was vinegar, secretly substituted for water to elicit a realistic choking performance. Could this be a deliberate propaganda effort? Fascinating to watch this film and try to disinter the motives behind it. I don't regard it as a comedy. It's not a tragedy - the characters were living at a time of world upheaval, US genocides and so on - but they are entirely self-absorbed. They're not the stuff of tragedy, any more than guinea pigs running in their wheels can be.

"Wasting Youth"

Written By: Michael Kerjman

It is a funny comedy of the wasting youth in-between-jobs actors' living in the London of the last century sixties and British countryside, peppered with sexism and demonstration of white undies and same sex advances.

Much better than Prick Up Your Ears running in the UK of the approximate epoch.

"A Classic Returns"

Written By: Amos Lassen

"Withnail and I"

A Classic Returns

Amos Lassen


"Withnail and I", first made in 1987, returns to us now with a Criterion Release on both DVD and Blu Ray. The film looks at the world of debauched unemployed actors and is set in 1969. Withnail (Richard J. Grant) and I (Paul McGann) realize that reality has hit them when they find themselves living in a wine cellar after a binge on speed. Marwood or I suggest that they go to the English countryside and Withnail manages to convince his uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) to give him the keys to his cottage in the Lake District and the two men are off for a visit to the country. For Withnail this is an alien environment and Marwood has to ward off the advances of Monty who has dropped in to stay. The evening there was awkward for all of them but when they return to London things get even more awkward. First they have an altercation with the local police and then they find that Danny (Ralph Brown) has taken advantage of their absence with rats in the oven.
Director Bruce Robinson brings the 1960's to life in a very authentic film. The script is totally witty and the dialogue is wonderful. The film has stood the test of time even with the largely British humor. We get a look at friendship that we do not often see. The soundtrack is loaded with 60's music and is perfect. The acting is superior. What is interesting is that the plot is really not that wonderful but it doesn't matter where the film is going, only how it gets there and it gets there. It is the script and the acting that hold the whole thing together. Another interesting aspect of the film is that today it is regarded as one of the best British comedies ever made and it flopped when it first came out in 1987. It is the kind of film that was developed to its utmost potential and that is why it has lasted the test of time. It is consistently funny and unforgettably acted and it is an iconic modern film. We have all known someone like Withnail--a pompous "Bug-eyed scarecrow", gaunt, acerbic and never without a drink in his hand--a jack of all trades and master of none.

"A better 'Hangover'"

Written By: S. Webb

Unlike so many comedies that are merely a collection stock characters and increasingly outlandish incidents - like the recent buddy flick "The Hangover" - this is a movie with a brilliantly funny script and a compelling story. Like the aforementioned flick, though, this movie does involve significant alcohol consumption and a wild, lost weekend.

I love how the movie starts. The two lads of the title ("I" is not named in the film) are two out-of-work actors in a serious rut. One morning "I" leaves the squalid apartment he shares with Withnail to seek sustenance (he's suffering the effects of booze and pills) at a nearby dive, but he's appalled by the disgusting food, the downtrodden patrons and the lurid tabloid headlines he glimpses from a neighbor's newspaper. He bolts from the place and heads back home, eager to discuss his insights into the miserable human condition with Withnail. But his pal's only concern is the lack of booze in the apartment. Meanwhile, the deteriorating state of this humble abode can no longer be ignored -- rats seem to have taken up residence amid the dirty dishes and rotting food in the kitchen, and basic necessities like heat are lacking. After a futile attempt to clean the kitchen, the two venture outside for some fresh air. Oh, but it is not the most pleasant of seasons in London. The clammy, drizzly weather further deflates their spirits. The local pub provides a brief respite until a thug threatens to beat them up, sending them scurrying out the door.

But there is hope! Withnail's eccentric Uncle Monty loans them the key to his country house. A brief vacation in the country will surely get them out of the doldrums and help them forget that they haven't landed jobs in quite some time. Of course the holiday isn't as peaceful as planned. It's actually a nightmare, and the locals they meet up with are a tad eccentric.

The script of this film (originally released in 1986) by writer-director Bruce Robinson keeps the funny lines coming one after another. Indeed, as other reviewers have noted, this is one of the most quotable movies ever, and I've managed to avoid mentioning a single one of them! You really must see this movie if you're a fan of acerbic British wit.

Richard Grant is the bitter and always overly dramatic Withnail; Paul McGann is the saner counterpart to Withnail and provides the often humorous (but not overused) narration; and who could forget Richard Griffiths' great turn as Uncle Monty. Robinson says in the commentary that the film is badly shot, but I respectfully disagree. Despite the meager budget, Robinson does a fine job capturing the time and place (late 1960s England) and setting the mood for this film in various shots(the grimy apartment, the dreary streets of London, dark pubs, brief glimpses of beauty in the countryside, etc.).

As funny as this movie is, there's an undercurrent of sadness. The two lead characters are struggling to find their way, and it becomes apparent that they're headed in opposite directions. The film ends with Withnail bidding farewell to his friend (who has finally landed a lead role in a play) in a downpour and quoting Hamlet, something you know he'll never be doing on the stage. Robinson says that he considered a far darker ending, which you can find out by watching the commentary of this great movie.

"One of the Best Films I've Seen in a Long Time"

Written By: Joshua Miller

A recent addition to Roger Ebert's ongoing Great Movies list, Withnail and I is a quirky, low-budget, buddy-comedy of sorts that has none of the characteristics of a typical cinematic masterpiece but is still one of the best films I've seen in some time.

Richard E. Grant plays Withnail, with Paul McGann playing Marwood (who's never actually called that in the film and is credited as "& I"). Withnail and Marwood are two out of work actors living in squalor in Camden Town, London circa 1969. Constantly drunk, the two decide to escape to the English countryside for a while, by staying at Withnail's gay Uncle Monty's cottage. Things get very interesting when Monty (Richard Griffiths) arrives and shows them his love for life...And his interest for Marwood.

Withnail and I is filled with wry, British humor. Not all of it is laugh-out-loud funny, but all of it is amusing. The performances are all delightful, with McGann perfect as Marwood. Grant however is particularly impressive as Withnail. The character is rarely seen sober or without a cigarette dangling from his lip. Grant plays this character with a certain wide-eyed eccentricity that makes him both loveable and incredibly memorable.
It's a brilliant piece of character acting.

One of the things that make Withnail and I so enduring is the scenes. The film admittedly doesn't have much of a plot to speak of but has more great scenes than even the most complicated film. Not a single scene feels too long or unnecessary and scenes like Marwood confronting a bull or Withnail "making time" to a soundtrack of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" will remain in your memory.

The film is filled with grin-inducing dialogue and hilarious situations, notably when Monty attempts to convince Marwood that Marwood is gay and to avoid an unpleasant situation, Marwood must convince Monty he actually is.

Beneath all the drugs, alcohol, and cursing; Withnail and I also manages to touch on universal themes, like friendship. And, let it be known, this is a great movie about friendship. Withnail and Marwood are a sort of alcoholic, witty, British Butch and Sundance.

Despite its low budget and nothing stand-out by way of cinematography, set-design, or anything like that, Withnail and I is a brilliantly scripted and acted film that deserves a large audience. Entertaining, funny, and brilliant.

GRADE: A