Featured Audience Ratings

• Jack H

  
  Utter hogwash from start to finish.

• Graham J

  
  Hilarious performances from Richard E. Grant, Richard Griffiths and Ralph Brown.

• Cassandra M

  
  Withnail and I is set in an old, run down student flat in London's Camden Town at the end of the 1960's. Withnail and I are a couple of unemployed actors from different ends of the social spectrum. Withnail is a Harrow educated dilettante, and rather upper crust; his… More
  Withnail and I is set in an old, run down student flat in London's Camden Town at the end of the 1960's. Withnail and I are a couple of unemployed actors from different ends of the social spectrum. Withnail is a Harrow educated dilettante, and rather upper crust; his flatmate Marwood is a grammar school boy with a slightly more realistic outlook on life. To escape from the squalor of their grim, unemployed, existence in Camden Town, soaked in a near lethal cocktail of alcohol and drugs, the desperate pair call upon the generosity of Withnail's uncle Montague and secure the use of his cottage in the country for a weekend. Uncle Monty is an eccentric middle-aged homosexual, who prefers vegetables to flowers. He considers that 'flowers are essentially tarts - prostitutes for the bees', and wears a radish in his buttonhole in preference to a flower. He grows vegetables in pots in his Chelsea house, and makes suggestive references to 'firm young carrots'. Withnail (excellently played by Richard E. Grant), persuades Uncle Monty (a superb Richard Griffiths) to lend Marwood (a convincing Paul McGann) and him his cottage in the country for the weekend. Their exploits at the cottage, and in Penrith where they spend their Wellington boot money on booze and try to sober up in a gentile tearoom are memorable, witty and entertaining. The incongruous uncle Monty reciting Baudelaire in the Cumbrian hills, seeking carnal knowledge of Marwood (apparently coerced by the cowardly and treacherous Withnail), are testament to the writing skills and humour of author and director, Bruce Robinson. The film's soundtrack brings us 'A Whiter Shade of Pale', played by King Curtis on the Saxophone, 'My Friend' and 'Walk hand in Hand', performed by Charlie Kunz, 'Schubert's Piano Sonata in B Flat Major' performed by Leslie Pearson, 'All Along the Watchtower' and 'Voodoo Chile', by Jimi Hendrix, 'Hang Out the Stars in Indiana', performed by Al Bowlly, and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', by the late lamented George Harrison, who provided much of the financial backing for this memorable film. This is a thoroughly entertaining 108 minutes of humorous entertainment, a few too many drinks, a convincing 60's atmosphere, superb performances from the excellent cast, and music to make your heart, and your guitar, gently weep. Thank you, George Harrison.

• Shauna R

  
  Cult classic. One of the best British comedies ever made. The teaming up of Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann is pure comedy genius and makes for great entertainment. Withnail and I is filled with classic dialogue and unforgettable characters. <br/>'We've gone on… More
  Cult classic. One of the best British comedies ever made. The teaming up of Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann is pure comedy genius and makes for great entertainment. Withnail and I is filled with classic dialogue and unforgettable characters. <br/>'We've gone on holiday by mistake.' Love it.

• Leigh R

  
  Holy smokes, this is hilarious... You have to watch it, without a doubt.

• Thomas B

  
  Hilarious and beautiful. Full review later.

• Randy T

  
  "Look, my thumbs have gone weird! I'm in the middle of a bloody overdose" Two unemployed thespians opt for a holiday in the country at the cottage of an over-sexed uncle. For me this is a film of thirds. I spent one third of the time asking "what did he… More
  "Look, my thumbs have gone weird! I'm in the middle of a bloody overdose" Two unemployed thespians opt for a holiday in the country at the cottage of an over-sexed uncle. For me this is a film of thirds. I spent one third of the time asking "what did he say?", one third asking "what does that mean?" and one third laughing my arse off. For those viewers who are painfully American, like myself, I heartily recommend enabling the subtitles.

• Daniel M

  
  Whenever Handmade Films comes up in conversation, most people think of the company which saved Monty Python’s Life of Brian after EMI pulled out. But there is so much more to this once-great company, which produced some of the most important British cult films of the 1980s. Within the… More
  Whenever Handmade Films comes up in conversation, most people think of the company which saved Monty Python’s Life of Brian after EMI pulled out. But there is so much more to this once-great company, which produced some of the most important British cult films of the 1980s. Within the space of six years, George Harrison and his associates gave us John McKenzie’s visceral masterpiece The Long Good Friday, Terry Gilliam’s brilliantly absurd Time Bandits, and Alan Bennett’s wonderfully repressed A Private Function. And then there is Withnail &amp; I, a bleak and bittersweet comedy from writer-director Bruce Robinson about acting, alcoholism, and the end of an era. The great success of Withnail &amp; I is that is manages to be a film about the nature of actors and acting without every descending into outright pretension. This is remarkable when we realise that the film is largely autobiographical, with ‘I’ being Robinson and Withnail being Vivian MacKerrell, a young actor who died of throat cancer a few years after its release. The film manages to achieve this through a very strong balance of the arty and the gritty, marrying flamboyant characters with dark circumstances and bleak, often poignant humour. The script is a bizarre and beautiful balance of ornate theatrical jokes and street slang, silver-tongued metaphors and toilet humour. One moment Richard E. Grant “demands to have some booze” and downs lighter fluid when none can be found; the next sees Richard Griffiths babbling on about Eton and describing roses as “prostitutes for the bees”. This means that the characters and their way with words are never allowed to escape their grim realities, and hence we continue to care about them even in their most arty moments. We aren’t turned off, for instance, by Withnail’s blatant and obnoxious snobbery; we feel sorry for him throughout the film, and the closing speech (in which he recites from Hamlet) is truly brilliant. Likewise, the film has some really simple and gritty visuals with effective camera work, which allow the story to effectively tell itself. The look of the film is very similar to A Private Function, in that they are both period pieces about individuals on the lower rungs of the social ladder. The actors’ faces are dimly lit and grimy, the walls are yellowing, the rooms are musty and hidden by carefully placed shadows – the whole landscape has an air of decay to it which takes you into the heart of the story. Much like the tumble-down back streets in The French Connection or the coal fields in Get Carter, you feel like you’re really in the pubs, in the houses, among the social turmoil. You feel, in other words, like you’re in a world which is dying. In many ways, Withnail &amp; I is about the passing of an age. Monty quips that he and the boys are the last of a breed, as actors at any rate. The drug dealer gets high while explaining that the 1960s is over and that the young have “failed to paint it black”. As the film carries on both the hedonistic optimism of Withnail and the self-delusion of ‘I’ die very slowly; the former is left despondently in the rain, while the latter moves on to a better and more ordered life. The fact that the film is able to tackle these subjects without being either rose-tinted or overly sentimental is testament to Robinson’s honesty as a writer and a filmmaker. What is equally impressive is the level of humour sustained throughout the piece, so that it manages to be simultaneously elegiac and hilarious. There are several brilliant set-pieces, such as Withnail attempting to catch fish with a shotgun, or the scene in the tea room where he demands “the finest wines in all humanity”, or indeed his deadpan antics driving the Jag back to London. But just as important, and as funny, is the comic interplay in the dialogue. The conversations between Grant and McGann range from the stupidity of Manchester to the perils of being an understudy, and they are all executed with dry, acerbic wit and panache from the performers. Richard E. Grant gives his all in the film, putting in a tour de force performance which he has yet to top, for all his great work in The Scarlet Pimpernel and Gosford Park. Grant famously was (and is) tee-total – to simulate the experience of Withnail he was taken on an all-night binge by the crew, and in the lighter fluid scene he was forced to drink vinegar during the take. McGann’s performance is just as compelling; his reading of the graffiti in the pub toilets will simultaneously shred your nerves and make you laugh out loud. And Richard Griffiths is on very good form, to the point at which he is simultaneously creepy and endearing. His Monty represents what Withnail will most likely grow into – a self-pitying, repressed has-been, yearning for past glories which don’t really exist. The problems with Withnail &amp; I are unusual for such a low-budget personal work. It is slightly too long, feeling the need to introduce a lot more secondary characters than is perhaps necessary. The poacher, the farmer and the drug dealer all make for interesting comic diversions, but their extended presence is not really developed and unfortunately means that Withnail is sidelined for a lot of the middle third. There are also quite a lot of similar scenes, usually of the two eating intercut with their meetings with the locals. They’re well staged, but as more examples come along you wonder as to the cumulative effect they are having on the plot. Many of the fleeting conversations could have been inserted in any order to much the same effect, meaning the intense weekend in Monty’s cottage loses some of its intensity. These quibbles aside, there is no doubt that Withnail &amp; I remains an important cult film which is funny, poignant, meaningful and very well-executed. The central performances are great, and are complimented by solid if rough direction which more than does justice to the source. It is a shame that the careers of neither the main actors nor the director have completely flourished as a result – for all McGann’s subsequent work, including an underrated turn as Doctor Who, he has yet to top this. One hopes that Robinson’s new film, The Rum Diary, will be a return to form for him. Based on the strengths of this, he deserves another hit late in his career.

• Anthony L

  
  A classic British comedy. 'I demand more booze'!

• _kelly .

  
  Brilliant dialogue.

• xGary X

  
  Withnail & I is the tale of a pair of out of work actors in 1969 Camden who decide to get away from it all for a weekend in a country cottage. And that's about it; plot heavy this film is not. It's all about the character of Withnail, played to perfection to a… More
  Withnail & I is the tale of a pair of out of work actors in 1969 Camden who decide to get away from it all for a weekend in a country cottage. And that's about it; plot heavy this film is not. It's all about the character of Withnail, played to perfection to a pre-insufferable Richard E. Grant; in fact Grant was a tee-totaler when he made this film, but Bruce Robinson insisted that the leading actors be paralytic during filming, just to make it more authentic! The pair are like a foul-mouthed, drunken version of Laurel & Hardy as they stagger through the ordinary world in much the same way as Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo were in Fear & Loathing, except that this film is very, very British. This film is all about the dialogue, which is hilarious, containing some of the funniest swearing you'll ever hear! It is also, like Gilliam's film, making a comment about the times in which they lived; the end of the sixties. Except in Fear & Loathing, Thompson was bemoaning the loss of power and optimism of the American youth movement, and here Withnail is shown as an endearing but childish and cowardly person, constantly avoiding responsibility and life as a whole, through a cocktail of drink and drugs. He is left behind at the end, like the decade, as "I" gets a haircut and a job, and moves on with his life. Some may think that the "screaming homosexual" uncle Monty is a bit of a caricature and figure of fun, but he is in fact the most sensitive and sympathetic character in the film. it may not translate well to foreign audiences, but it will forever be a firm favourite amongst the British post hippy generation and students alike.

• Ross C

  
  Two out of work f***ed-up actors leave their Camden digs for a country break. "We've gone on holiday by mistake." You can see how this became the most quoted student cult classic - the dialogue's hilarious. "A pair of quadruple whiskies and another pair of… More
  Two out of work f***ed-up actors leave their Camden digs for a country break. "We've gone on holiday by mistake." You can see how this became the most quoted student cult classic - the dialogue's hilarious. "A pair of quadruple whiskies and another pair of pints..."

• Bannan i

  
  Droogie, thanks for the recc...it was completely ludicrous and just so hilariously bizarre!

• Cindy I

  
  Darkly funny, and occasionally grim, film about a couple of broke actor roommates who go for a vacation in the countryside without a clue on how to take care of things once they get there. Richard E. Grant stands out as Withnail, the perpetually drunk wreck of a person.

• Michael G

  
  As a whole, Withnail and I is sort of a disjointed mess, but as a bunch of scenes it's a lot of fun. Namely the bull scene and the drunken tea room scene. Richard E. Grant is priceless as Withnail and Ralph Brown is a riot as Danny with his... musings. There were points of this… More
  As a whole, Withnail and I is sort of a disjointed mess, but as a bunch of scenes it's a lot of fun. Namely the bull scene and the drunken tea room scene. Richard E. Grant is priceless as Withnail and Ralph Brown is a riot as Danny with his... musings. There were points of this movie that reminded me of a British version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas minus most of the drugs, but beyond that this movie isn't anything to ruin a pair of shorts over.

• Sarah G

  
  <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/_126.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> London 1969 - two… More
  <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/_126.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> 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... Regarded as one of the finest British comedies ever made and one of the best scripts ever written and rightly so. From buying the DVD...I knew I would like it and once the film ended imeadiatly I loved it. For sure this will go into my favourite films as it's just hilarious. Withnail and I contains some of the best one liners in a film and one of the most of the most quotes of all time. Iam laughing as I write this, pure genuis in script wrint. Here are a few I loved... <i>- I've some extremely distressing news. - I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything! Oh God, it's a nightmare, I tell you, it's a nightmare ================= I don't know, I don't know. Oh God, I don't feel good. Look, my thumbs have gone weird! I'm in the middle of a bloody overdose. Oh God. My heart's beating like a fucked clock! I feel dreadful, I feel really dreadful! ==================== -You don't understand. I think there may be something alive. - What do you mean? a rat? - It's possible, it's possible. -Then the fucker will rue the day! ===================== - Aargh! - I told you. You've been bitten! - Burnt! Burnt! The fucking kettle's on fire! -There's something floating up. - FORK IT! </i> ====================== <b>I DEMAND TO HAVE SOME BOOZE!!</b> With some fine performances by Richard E Grant, who himself does not drink pocesses the essence of the character so well, an incredibly confincing drunk! Paul McGann in only the second film that i've seen him in brilliantly plays well with Grant and is also hilarious. Richard Griffiths is also hilarious as Uncle Monty, who take a liking to Marwood, with hilarious consequences.Marwood's narration really enables us to get into his mind and certainly understand the relationship between the two. Without that narration, you might not have been able to get into the narrative properly The soundtrack of Hendrix, wonderfully fits in with the '60's culture and the photography of London, from the bleak miserable atomosphere to the same in the countryside. The rain and the cold symbolise British culture to a tea! There are some referances to outsiders visiting the countryside...not sure how to put it. Once the two visit Uncle Monty's house...some hilarious scenes follow. Don't want to give too much away otherwise it'll spoil you're enjoyment. Overall one of the best comedies I've seen. So well written, acted, direction and such a well crafted film. None of the following that you see in a Hollywodd comedy, just about a relationship between two unemployed actors in '60's London and how they survive...mainly through drugs. It's so funny I think I am going to be able to watch this over and over again. Outstanding. <u>Highly Recomended</u>

• Gordon A

  
  Overrated

• Christopher M

  
  Brilliantly written, devilishly funny British film about two lower-class struggling actors who go the English countryside for the weekend to escape with the help of Withnail's lecherous, eccentric Uncle Monty. What was most intriguing about this film, I thought, was how it took a… More
  Brilliantly written, devilishly funny British film about two lower-class struggling actors who go the English countryside for the weekend to escape with the help of Withnail's lecherous, eccentric Uncle Monty. What was most intriguing about this film, I thought, was how it took a look at a rarely examined slice of lower-class London life in the late 1960's, with a generation of young men slightly removed from but feigning a part in the American peace and love movement. The secondary characters were really funny, such as Uncle Monty and the stoner (who I recognized from having later appeared in Wayne's World 2) and hopeful inventor who takes up residence in the boys' apartment when they're gone. I wouldn't say this film is everyone, it had a totally unique sense of humor, and actually takes a very keen eye to certain social issues, although this certainly isn't the main aim. Along with a beautiful ending sequence and two really cool cats in the lead roles - I really dug it.

• Michael S

  
  One of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

• Stuart B

  
  EXCELLENT!

Read all 20 featured audience ratings