by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: Discs: 1, The Film: 4/5, The Extras: 3.5/5, Overall: 7.5/10
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths
Intro:
… a unique, iconic and very funny black comedy.
The Film:
Dirty dishes festering in the cloudy water of a sink long abandoned to its fate. Weak beams of sunlight barely punching through the patina of grime smeared across the window glass. Putrid piles of unwashed clothes and dilapidated furniture scattered around grim rooms seemingly at random. Welcome to the world of Withnail and I, the story of two young, perpetually out of work actors Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and I aka Marwood (Paul McGann). While both men want to dazzle the world with their acting prowess, they mostly spend their days getting pissed, getting high, talking shit and then recovering from staggering hangovers. It’s a lifestyle that many of us (particularly blokes who used to be 20-something gronks) can relate to all too well.
Set in the dying days of the swinging ‘60s, Withnail and I is a plot light exploration of two absurdly hopeless characters, loosely based on the life of writer/director Bruce Robinson. They squabble, banter, narrowly avoid getting into fights and eventually manipulate Withnail’s flamboyant and deluded Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) into letting them stay in his country cottage. This, of course, leads to a whole slew of shenanigans, some of which are darkly hilarious and some of which are just grim.
There’s an unflinching quality to Withnail and I, a raw, bleak honesty that is likely at least part of the reason that the film has managed to sustain a loyal cult audience over many years. It’s not always an easy watch, the pace is slow and some of what happens is genuinely unpleasant. Plus, you kind of want to shake these absolute no-hopers and shove them into a shower. But then, that’s the way of these things, isn’t it? What seems charming, larrikin behaviour in one’s youth is revealed to be empty and self-destructive later on.
McGann and Grant are both superb, but the latter steals the show with his imperious incompetence and a genuinely wonderful delivery of Hamlet (that actually inspired your humble scribe to read and finally understand the bard many decades ago).
Look, the rather dull and depressing life of two filthy Poms isn’t going to be wildly enjoyable entertainment for everyone, but for those attuned to the dingy cult rhythms of this 1987 classic, it might just be time to revisit these friends in ye olde Camden Town.
Even if they’re both grubs.
The Extras:
A solid, if less than spectacular, collection of extras here. There are two audio commentaries, one with actors Paul McGann and Ralph Brown and another with writer/director Bruce Robinson.
You’ve got featurettes like Handmade Films and I – which is an interview with Robinson, Postcards from Penrith, Withnail and Us and the Withnail and I drinking game, which could very quickly turn your liver into pâté. There’s also a Swearathon compilation and the trailer.
It’s certainly not a bad little grab bag of extra goodies for superfans of Robinson’s dank vision but not as exhaustive as one might have hoped.
The Verdict:
Withnail and I remains a unique, iconic and very funny black comedy. Niche but very well observed with a kind of dingy veracity that makes it a fascinating watch.
The best way to view it is, honestly, probably the 4K release from Arrow Films that dropped a few years back. However, if you’d like to save some pennies, and you’re fine with just regular old blu-ray, Imprint’s release will no doubt fit the bill without breaking the bank. Demand it along with the finest wines known to humanity!
