Withnail & I Reviews

I don’t know, I just don’t get it.

Withnail & I is a film with a large cult following, but something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I just find it hard to laugh off such grossly self-destructive behavior? I will concede that the film does have several merits and things working for it, but I walked away from this feeling more at arm’s length then rushing to embrace it.

I think there’s also something of a generational divide between myself and the original audience for this movie. At the time taking the piss out of boho culture was something new, but in the twenty-plus years since it hasn’t exactly retained the same potency. And I found the characterization of Uncle Monty to be a bit of relic from a past age, a lecherous older gay man making advances on a nubile younger man is played for laughs at the humiliation, degradation of Monty. Of course, there was always the lurking feeling that these characters were more pitiful and depressing than charming, funny or humorous. They needed a long spell in rehab to deal with their drinking problem.

But we’re getting away from the positives while I try to wrap my brain around why I didn’t love it. I mostly liked Withnail & I for two simple reasons: Paul McGann, who plays the “I,” and Richard E. Grant as Withnail. Grant’s work in particular is iconic, and in this film, he has granted himself immortality. What’s astonishing is that Grant never once plays his character for cheap laughs or for any kind of laugh at all. His character is an aggressive, deeply unhappy man who appears to be trying to flirt with suicide. He drinks lighter fluid when no booze can be found, so we’re clearly not dealing with someone entirely in their correct frame of mind.

McGann gets the less showy role, but that doesn’t mean he’s regulated to sidekick status. He’s just seeking out some kind of adventure in permanent drunken stupor I suppose. Between the two of them, he’s retained more; I suppose we could call it this, common sense and remains more in touch with reality. While Withnail is dancing towards oblivion and madness, “I” seems to tag along in a spirit of friendship. McGann finds the soul within the role.

Much of the bite and satire of the film buckles under the gloominess that pervades the entire thing. It’s not entirely plausible to assume that others can see a wit and transcendence in its misery, but I was most relieved when “I” ran off from Withnail into adulthood and sobriety. For the strength of the two central performances, I can’t find any fault. But that’s about all of my enjoyment to be found in it.

Withnail & I was a delightful find. When the film reached the 10 minute mark, I knew what I just saw was just the beginning of what I would be seeing for the next 90 minutes. This is a rare film; It has little or no plot to it and has characters who have a flair for speaking with a poetic-nature and/or in structured sentences which more or less start with the word fuck! The film is about two desperate actors who go to the country-side to rejuvenate. Once they reach there, they find that whatever that had been growing in their sink, it is growing right in front of their door, and whatever the environment they left in the city-side, they found it in their ramshackled cabin. In short, life in the country-side was no worse than life in the city-side. A-lot of hilarity ensues, with tons of one-liners and eccentric characters. A situation like this can only be worked with in the comedy field. Any well-off director could've achieved it, so what makes it so special here? The reason is because Bruce Robinson pits two characters - Robinson based one on his friend and one on himself - who are not everyday people trying to be actors. They are trained actors trying to act like everyday people, and whether they fail or succeed in it, you can't deny the fact that both of them keep you in the laughs, or at-least bring you to the point where you're afraid of putting any liquid in your mouth lest you should spray it all over should a comical scene come up.

There comes a point in the film - varies from person to person - that the viewer, almost unconsciously, starts to identify himself with either Withnail or I - a.k.a Marwood. When one achieves in doing that, the rest of the film starts playing out as a film adaptation of that viewer's diary. Not that I felt like that for the whole film, but only in certain places, especially in the moments when they quarrel. I was the first letter of this sentence in real life - I think you can work that out.

The cinematography was great and the music was awesome, reflecting the culture and standard of the 60's. The pace of the film was also smooth, with a lot of funny characters weaving in and out. If Withnail and Marwood are two juvenile delinquents, then the film is their baggage carousel, with each entertaining the viewer with a slightly different approach than the other.

Performance-wise, both Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann were truly magnificent in their roles as Withnail and Marwood, respectively. Since the former is the main backbone of the film, it is of no wonder that he became the break-out character from the film, and Grant's highest career point till date. The character is neither likable nor unlikable. He is, in short, just like you, just like any other human being. He is flawed, he is angry, and he is desperate for big things. Marwood, on the other hand, is the thinker of the two, but in reality is in the same hole with Withnail. They both are in the same band, but they march to a different beat and think in a different tempo. Supporting them is Ralph Brown as Danny, who has had "more drugs than you've had hot dinners". Although he just appears in the beginning and at the end for a short period of time, his short appearance is enough to let you know he is the most social-conscious character, as well as being the most prophetic. His sentences may seem nonsensical and erratic but if you pay a littler close attention, you will realize that he actually makes sense. If he hasn't become a drug-character icon, then he should be. Then we have Richard Griffiths, as Uncle Monty, the hapless homosexual. Griffiths is a painfully under-rated actor I must say. He is one of my favourites, as he always plays his characters right. Not only was Monty a great addition to the film but was introduced in a time when the other two were quite wearing out their welcome, making all the moments which involve him among the funniest in the film. The rest of the side-cast were great, too.

In conclusion, black - and or idiosyncratic - comedy does come better than this, but as a starting point, start with Withnail & I. Nary an empty moment!

8.5/10

"Come on lads, let's get home, the sky's beginning to bruise, night must fall and we shall be forced to camp."

Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I is a doped-out British comedy spun from autobiographical threads about two unemployed actors living in London during 1969. This cult classic is devoid of a real plot and is shot in the simple, relatively dull style of a first-time director struggling to find his footing, yet it's a wonderfully-scripted portrait of English living which chugs forward on the strength of its dialogue and primary actors.

Taking place in the late 1960s, Withnail & I is the story of two down-on-their-luck actors: Withnail (Grant) and the "I" of the film, Marwood (McGann). They have an agent somewhere, but he doesn't seem to care much about them. Desperate to escape the tedium of their uneventful lives, Withnail and Marwood head to the countryside, borrowing a cottage owned by Withnail's eccentric Uncle Monty (Griffiths). However, Monty's little cottage is more rustic than expected, and (since they don't have much money) they become short on firewood and food. At various times throughout the weekend, they're forced to deal with inclement weather, a horny bull, and provincial folk who aren't as friendly or hospitable as they had hoped.

Withnail & I is a screen adaptation of Robinson's own novel. Before the novel was published, a copy of the manuscript was passed onto a wealthy friend of Robinson's who in turn paid the writer to adapt it into a screenplay. Robinson was subsequently urged to direct the movie as well (which was in part funded by George Harrison). Withnail & I is largely autobiographical - it's based on real people and events from Robinson's life. The "I" character is naturally based on himself, while the character of Withnail was based on the late Vivian MacKerrell (an eccentric actor with little or no ambition). MacKerrell and Robinson were friends who lived a life together similar to that which is depicted in the film. Uncle Monty is loosely based on amorous Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli, whom Robinson received unwanted attention from when he was a young actor.

In essence, the movie doesn't offer a great deal plot-wise, but that isn't Robinson's point - the writer-director was attempting to evoke a feeling derived from his own memories of being a directionless young man in the late '60s with grand ambitions but no place to go. The minimal plot which does exist merely functions as a framework on which Robinson can create the sensation of the lives of Withnail and Marwood. This is a character study rather than a plot-driven affair. Withnail & I is also a distinctively British movie. A number of expressions used throughout the feature are loaded with typical, irresistible British cockiness.

Thankfully, Withnail & I survived dissention from certain studio executives who perceived the film as an unmitigated disaster. By no means was this film an overnight success, but it has garnered an avid cult following in the decades since its theatrical release (particularly in Britain). Like all the best cult movies, Withnail & I offers line upon line of quotable dialogue. On first viewing, the film is a somewhat ponderous affair about two dislikeable characters. But subsequent viewings unveil something you failed to catch previously. Robinson's rich screenplay (which earned an Evening Standard British Film Award) is difficult to fully absorb with a single viewing. The film's entertainment value lies in its texture - it's an often funny comedy, but it's without discernible jokes and it's short on set-pieces (the dignified exceptions being the urine test, the fishing expedition and a sequence involving a chicken). Withnail & I gets plenty of comic mileage from the rapid-fire banter, the colourfully-drawn characters, and the intermittent Monty Python-esque moments. If there's a fault, it's that it occasionally grows dreary due to the monotonous filmmaking style adopted by Robinson. Pacing issues also stem from this.

Performances across the board are beyond convincing. This was the feature film debut of Richard E. Grant whose wonderfully sharp, witty performance gained him a great deal of attention, and propelled him to fame. Paul McGann (another unknown as the time) does a fine job of playing the calmer Marwood without ever fading into the background. Grant and McGann are an ideal screen couple, and the two seem so immersed in their roles that it never feels like they're actually acting. Richard Griffiths offers excellent support as Uncle Monty, while Ralph Brown also contributes brilliantly as Danny the drug dealer.

Shot on a low budget with a cast of mostly unknown actors (of the time), Withnail & I is a triumph of personal vision. It has a ring of truth to it that most films lack, with situations that are realistic and warm characters that lack exaggerations and therefore feel like people you've met. The incredibly witty script and a once-in-a-lifetime combination of Paul McGann & Richard E. Grant makes this film essential viewing.

8.5/10