Withnail & I (1987)

In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.

Director:

Bruce Robinson

Writer:

Bruce Robinson

Stars:

Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard E. Grant	...	Withnail
Paul McGann	...	... & I
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 1
Anthony Wise	...	Policeman 2
Eddie Tagoe	...	Presuming Ed

Storyline

London, 1969 - two 'resting' (unemployed and unemployable) actors, Withnail and Marwood, fed up with damp, cold, piles of washing-up, mad drug dealers and psychotic Irishmen, decide to leave their squalid Camden flat for an idyllic holiday in the countryside, courtesy of Withnail's uncle Monty's country cottage. But when they get there, it rains non-stop, there's no food, and their basic survival skills turn out to be somewhat limited. Matters are not helped by the arrival of Uncle Monty, who shows an uncomfortably keen interest in Marwood...

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | black comedy | out of work actor | homosexual | gay | 

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Taglines:

If you don't remember the sixties, don't worry - neither did they.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Handmade Films Website

Country:

UK

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

19 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Withnail & I

Filming Locations:

M25 Motorway, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,544,889

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineplex-Odeon Films,HandMade Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Daniel Day-Lewis was offered but declined the role of Withnail. Among the other actors who tested for it were Kenneth Branagh and Edward Tudor-Pole.

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Goofs

Several outdoor shots with rain only falling in the foreground.

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Quotes

Uncle Monty: The older order changeth, yielding place to new. God fulfils himself in many ways. And soon, I suppose, I shall be swept away by some vulgar little tumour. Oh, my boys, my boys, we're at the end of an age. We live in a land of weather forecasts and breakfasts that set in. Shat on by Tories, shovelled up by Labour. And here we are, we three, perhaps the last island of beauty in the world.

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Crazy Credits

Paul McGann is credited only as "and I".

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.15 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Walk Hand in Hand
Performed by Charlie Kunz
Composed by John Cowell
Original Sound Recording made by the Decca Record Co. Ltd.

User Reviews

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.