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

Also Known As:

O filos mou ki ego (Greece) [el]
Onnen kiertolaiset (Finland) [fi]
Os Desajustados (Brazil) [pt]
Shakespeare a colazione (Italy) [it]
Withail et moi (France) [fr]
Withnail och jag (Sweden) [sv]
Withnail y yo (Spain) [es]

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:

Withnail is a ferocious drunk, but he was played by the teetotaler Richard E. Grant. Finally convinced that he needed to get drunk at least once to have the proper insight into the character, Grant "filled a tumbler with vodka and topped it off with a bit of Pepsi", then swilled the whole thing down. He was teased the next day by costar Paul McGann and director Bruce Robinson, who assured him that he would never be so funny on film again.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Withnail and Marwood are driving along the motorway on the way to the cottage, at least one motorway construction vehicle can be seen driving in the same direction, but on the other carriageway. This gives away the fact that the motorway scenes were filmed on a completed but as yet unopened section of the M25 motorway.

Quotes:

[after an altercation with Jake the poacher]
Withnail: If I ever see that silage-heap hanging about up here, I'll take the bastard axe to him. Bastards.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Awake and Ovulate (2007)

British film-making at its best.

'Withnail and I' is a classic, in every sense of the word. Bruce Robinson deserves rich applause for creating a debauched world of weird thumbs, phenodihydrochloride benelex, old suits, uncontaminated urine and the Camberwell carrot.

It is Camden in 1969, and two unemployed actors, Withnail (Richard E Grant), and I (Paul McGann), are facing up to the reality of an empty wine cellar and a harsh comedown following a speed binge. Squalid living conditions and the prospect of life on the poverty line leads 'I' (otherwise known as Marwood), to suggest a rejuvenating break in the English countryside. After Withnail manages to persuade his bizarre uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths) to part with the keys of his Lake Distict cottage, the duo head off for a taste of country life.

Adapting to such an alien environment initially proves difficult to Withnail, and his predicament is significantly worsened following an altercation with the local poacher, Jake (Michael Elphick). Meanwhile, Marwood is forced to concentrate his attentions to fending off the advances of the lecherous Monty, who has inconveniently come to stay.

Following an awkward evening, the pair hurriedly return to London and after a run-in with the Metropolitan Police, they return home to find Danny (Ralph Brown) has made the most of their absence. Drugged rodents fill the oven while Presuming Ed fills the bath and Marwood is rescued from the mire - it seems he will crack the boards after all. "Congratulations", Withnail says emptily, as he begins to contemplate life without his straight man.

'Withnail and I' is a very authentic and believable film. Despite a low budget, Robinson manages to bring the late 1960's to life, with no small part played by the soundtrack. As many students will testify, the script is incredibly witty and eminently quotable. Both Mary Selway (casting director) and Bruce Robinson succeeded in bringing dialogue to life with an impeccable choice of actors. Richard E Grant has never come close to his performance as Withnail - his performance as a drunk is even the more remarkable as he is a teetotaller in real life. Richard Griffiths is as camp as a hat as the overbearing, exuberant Monty, and Ralph Brown is frequently hilarious as the unhinged Danny.

'Withnail and I' is a film that is not tarnished by age, and neither is it limited by repeat viewings. It is a very accessible film, despite its largely English humour, and 'Withnail' remains one of the best films about friendship. Certainly a one off - who could possibly foresee and replicate such a world with such attention to detail? - 'Withnail' is a must see film that will not disappoint.