Withnail & I (1987)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Bruce Robinson

Writer:

Bruce Robinson (writer)

Release Date:

19 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

You are invited to spend an hilarious weekend in the English countryside.

Plot:

London 1969 - two 'resting' (unemployed and unemployable) actors, Withnail and Marwood, fed up with damp...

Plot Keywords:

Cottage | Actor | Countryside | Mixed Drink | Roommate

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Richard E. Grant	...	Withnail
Paul McGann	...	Marwood
Richard Griffiths	...	Monty
Ralph Brown	...	Danny
Michael Elphick	...	Jake
Daragh O'Malley	...	Irishman
Michael Wardle	...	Isaac Parkin
Una Brandon-Jones	...	Mrs. Parkin
Noel Johnson	...	General
Irene Sutcliffe	...	Waitress
Llewellyn Rees	...	Tea Shop Proprietor
Robert Oates	...	Policeman One
Anthony Wise	...	Policeman Two
Eddie Tagoe	...	Presuming Ed

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:R (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #28355) | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Spain:13 | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Ansleigh Place, Notting Hill, London, England, UK

Company:

Cannon Group, The

Trivia:

The last scenes of the film to be shot were those in Regents Park next to the Wolves. Paul McGann wore a wig in the scenes when the two are walking together and talking on the bench.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the first kettle scene, the gas burns blue, whereas in 1969 we still used town gas (coal gas), which burns with a yellow flame. Not a lot they could have done about this of course.

Quotes:

Withnail: I've got a bastard behind the eyes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 50 Greatest Comedy Films (2006) (TV)

Classic dialogue makes for a hilarious film

In the late 1960'sm Withnail and our narrator are two unemployed actors who have little chance of being employed. Fed up with their lot in Camden, they flee for a restful break in Penrith in the cottage of Withnail's Uncle Monty. However the facilities, the oddball locals and the advances of Monty put their friendship under pressure.

There is very little I can add to the many reviews that have rightly praised this film as one of the funniest British films ever. The basic plot is not enough to keep you watching and you should not come to this film looking for an amazing narrative - I have watched this several times and never once has it mattered where the film was going, only how it goes there. The joy of the film is a script that is rich in highly memorable and quotable dialogue that will make you laugh out loud. It is crass to let this become a list of lines but if you stood up in certain circles and declared `I demand booze' or `I want something's flesh' then it would immediately be recognised!

Of course, the dialogue would not work if it were delivered badly, a problem that does not exist here. Grant is, and always will be, Withnail; no matter how many stupid adverts he does for shops this is how I will remember him. His delivery is tremendous and he brings the character to life in a spinning fireball of comedic excess! McGann has the less showy part but is equally as good and has to make his character real in order to hold the film together. Support roles are just as well scripted and just as funny - notably Griffiths (you terrible c*nt!) and the late Michael Elphick.

Overall this is simply one of the best British comedies ever made and it breaks my heart to see voter's lists where things like Four Weddings top it! The delivery is great and the writing is consistently outrageous and hilarious. The only downside of this film is that director/writer Robinson has never topped this wonderful movie and looks like he never will.