Withnail and I [M]

In a Camden flat lives two would-be actors living in self-induced poverty and squalor and surviving on a diet of booze and drugs. When a fear sets in that there is only 90 days left of the sixties, the two decide to embark upon a soul-cleansing weekend in the countryside in the cottage of Withnail’s eccentric and gay uncle Monty. But no sooner do they arrive at the cottage that they discover that country life is not as soul-cleansing as they imagined. 

An intriguing and raw look at the final throes of an eccentric and essentially-doomed friendship, Withnail and I is surprising and simple, its power, emotion, and comedy, being propelled solely by the performances of its actors. An acquired taste to be sure, the comedy and the general point of the film may easily elude some audiences, it was a film that I enjoyed, but at the same time was fascinated by, as though it was something ugly, yet demanded attention. It’s very interesting. 

In a Camden flat lives two would-be actors living in self-induced poverty and squalor and surviving on a diet of booze and drugs. When a fear sets in that there is only 90 days left of the sixties, the two decide to embark upon a soul-cleansing weekend in the countryside in the cottage of Withnail’s eccentric and gay uncle Monty. But no sooner do they arrive at the cottage that they discover that country life is not as soul-cleansing as they imagined. 

The film is one of simplicity and humble budget. With its natural lighting, its natural, dishevelled, and raw makeup and costumes, and its only technological achievement being its camera use and its eclectic soundtrack, its power and pull is presented in the form of its wonderfully wordy script and its propelling and forceful performances from its actors. 

Without a doubt the star of the show was Richard E. Grant who stars as the grizzly and dishevelled Withnail, the older and drunker of the two who lives his life in a drunken and fame-fantasy-fuelled stupor, spewing forth great monologues of grandeur theatrics. His performance was like that of a stage actor, very grandiose and verbose, which was perfect and in keeping with the character. Amid the fluent and lengthy monologues, he also hysterically delivers memorable lines, most coming from his hung-over and grizzled morning state “feels like a pig shat in my head”.  

Paul McGann plays the quieter, poetic, and frantically anxious I, delivering a performance that was really trying and frustrated and trapped in a way. The strain of the bond between Withnail and I is really shown through the character of I and Paul played the role excellently. 

Also starring Ralph Brown and Richard Griffiths as Uncle Monty, Withnail and I is a raw and truthful look at a life of squalor in the late sixties. Filled with “fear”, drugs, booze, thick monologues, frustration, drama, and verbal and physical comedy, it’s a very good film, but one that is not for everyone.