Withnail and I - Criterion Collection

Starring:Paul Mcgann, Richard E. Grant
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

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A corrosively funny, semiautobiographical account by writer-director Bruce Robinson (How to Get Ahead in Advertising) about a couple of destitute roommates, young actors living in drunken squalor in 1969, the twilight days of swingin' London. Withnail (the astounding Richard E. Grant in a definitive performance) is a kind of depraved, modern-day Oscar Wilde, but without the money or the manners. The "I" of the title is the younger and more impressionable Marwood (Paul McGann), who stands somewhat in awe of his scandalous, demented, hysterical pal. While on a miserable holiday in the bitterly cold and damp countryside, they stay with wealthy, corpulent "Uncle Monty" (Richard Griffiths), who takes quite a liking to young Marwood, much to his consternation. Though not well known in the United States, Withnail & I has a major cult following in England. It's uproariously funny in a peculiarly British way, and the acting is absolutely scintillating. (Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert said Griffiths's was the best performance by an actor in a British film since Denholm Elliott in A Room with a View.) This one's a real treat for the caustic at heart. --Jim Emerson

Description

London. The 60s. Two unemployed actors-acerbic, elegantly wasted Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and the anxiety-ridden "I" (Paul McGann)-drown their frustrations in booze, pills, and lighter fluid. When Withnail's Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) offers his cottage, they escape the squalor of their flat for a week in the country. They soon realize they've gone on holiday by mistake when their wits-and friendship-are sorely tested by violent downpours, less-than-hospitable locals, and empty cupboards. An intelligent, superbly acted, and hilarious film, The Criterion Collection is proud to present Bruce Robinson's semi-autobiographical cult favorite in its complete and uncut version.

Customer Reviews:

A cult classic.......2007-03-18

Back in the late 80s, when I was in university, watching this low budget British film (on a gradually deteriorating videotape) was almost a weekly ritual for my friends and I. On the rare occasions it would be shown at one of the 2nd run theatres in town we'd be sure to catch it on the big screen. Later we'd obnoxiously try to outdo each other quoting its hilarious dialogue, while each of our girlfriends rolled their eyes and probably questioned themselves about whether their boyfriend was really the kind of man they'd want to father their children. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that during those years I probably saw this film about thirty times. In the following decades I read the screenplay, Richard E. Grant's film diaries (he's the actor who plays Withnail) and Bruce Robinson's unrelated novel along with a very enjoyable collection of interviews with him. A documentary accompanying the film on this disk shows that my behavior was typical of the film's legion of fans. It can inspire that kind of devotion.

Watching Criterion's superb edition of "Withnail and I" recently was like running into an old buddy after many years. The film's mordant charm hasn't dated at all. It's a film about two perpetually intoxicated, unemployed actors and the gradual disintegration of their tenuous friendship as one starts to outgrow the other. The film has the thinnest of plots but is presented with such wit and intelligence that, if it speaks to you, will seem nothing short of brilliant. The DVD release, in what seems to be a great transfer has the added bonus of a nostalgic documentary about the making of the film and the cult that surrounds it. Only the addition of a commentary track to the film would have improved this release. If you're already a fan of the film, you owe it to yourself to at least see the Criterion edition, even if you end up owning some lesser version. What makes this film great is the dialogue and acting. Even a pan and scan version will suffice for the repeated viewings you're bound to subject it to.

A great beginning and end.......2007-01-19

I bought this movie based on a scene (seen on TV) near the end - in the apartment when the drug dealer was philosophizing and everyone was stoned in a crazy, inspired scene. The acting here was great, while the cameras and dialog were expertly arranged.

So we pop the movie in and we are treated to some fun degenerate, young roomates acting their age during a heady moment in time, the late '60s. It kept our interest up until the chicken scene, truly a high point of humor that was never to be topped for the rest of the film.

Then the gay uncle arrives, forcing himself on the hapless boys. This could have been humorous for a short while, but the joke goes on and on, until the film hinges on this one thing, wearing thin. This is the reason it gets 2 stars - could have been a wonderful film if they had not bogged it down in a predicable one-joke middle series of scenes.

I was ashamed.......2007-01-08

I read many great, raving reviews of this film, so I bought it. I have a moive night once a week for some friends. Last night we watched "Withnail and I", and "The Hidden Fortress". Well, the three other people and I all looked at each other at the end of withnail. We couldn't believe how unfunny it was. The acting was awlful. The actors seemed to be trying to hard to sell their lines. There was some good writing in it, but it was so forced, I kept waitng for it to be beleiveable but it never was. The drug dealer and uncle monty were the only good actors in the film. Sadly there time on screen was about a total of 15 minutes. Usually if I buy a DVD that costs 10 dollars or less I'm not too shocked that it sucks, but at the price this DVD is, I couldn't belive how bad it is. "The Hidden Fortress" was funnier.

A film unlike any other I've seen - hilarious, at times creepy, and bittersweet.......2006-12-12

I am a sucker for Criterion, I'll admit it. If they release it, I'll at least want to see it, if not buy it, and their track record, in my mind, has them holding only one terrible movie; Walkabout, but other than that everything else they've dished out has been fantastic, Whitnail and I taking it's place on the list.

The description on the back was oddly misleading, I had no clue what to expect from the film, was it going to be more funny than scary, they make it seem as if the two are going to go at each other's throats, when this isn't really the case at all.

The story of two 20, Whitnail being almost 30, something guys sitting around doing absolutely nothing with their lives is, for the most part, a fairly common idea in film, but when done with the great wit and cleverness that W&I was given it makes it seem fresh and wholely entertaining.

I mention "creepy" in my title review because the cabin encounters between Uncle Monty and I were absolutely unsettling, I couldn't sit still while watching them, they made me that uncomfortable, as I imagined "I" was feeling as well.

The two main characters truly are the best of friends; they fight, they bicker, but in the long run they're there for each other, to help each other out. So, when, near the end, "I" actually begins to gain some momentum to make something of his life, we're left with a rainsoaked melancholy Whitnail quoting Hamlet and walking off, leaving us with an open ending ripe with interpretation. I for one thinks he kills himself, as was the original ending in the script, but, again, it's an open ending, anything could have happened.

Absolutely recommended.

You have Paint Thinner in There.......2006-09-16

Withnail and I opens with a shot of Marwood within the confines of a dilapidated, grimy apartment in which rodents have taken residence within the stack of dishes in the sink. Chain-smoking, Marwood can't handle the oppression within the apartment, but soon runs back when the images of downtrodden, working class society assault his senses. However, back home his alcoholic roommate Withnail is on a bit of a rampage about the lack of booze in the apartment and eventually goes as far as to down a bottle of lighter fluid and then demands to know the location of Marwood's toolbox so he can drink the paint thinner.

This is the world in which Withnail and Marwood live. Both seemingly from well-off families, the two young men seem to be the black sheep of their respective families because of their desires to be actors. However, it seems that there is little work for our heroes be it the hard times or directors' lack of desires to hire two wasted men. Because of their bleak situation, Marwood asks Withnail to ask his wealthy uncle Monty if they can stay at his cabin in the mountains. After talking with Withnail's uncle, a mad man who details the advantages of growing vegetables over flowers for room décor, yells at his cat, and has quite a strong attraction to Marwood, they get his permission to use his cabin. Yet, after a horrible trip the cabin with Withnail completely smashed along the way, the two friends discover that the cabin is every bit as dilapidated as their apartment and that they lack not only food but wood for heat. Their little trip to the country might not be quite as relaxing as they thought it would be with its cold, angry poachers and bulls, and gay uncles coming up for the weekend to check on the boys...

I cannot recall the first time that I heard of Withnail and I, but it has been on my films to watch list for quite awhile. Maybe it was because of Ralph Steadman's cover art that sparked my interest, or maybe it was because of the enjoyment I receive from reading the literature of William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Luke Davies, and Murakami Ryu that attracted me to it. Whatever the reason might be, Withnail and I makes for quite an enjoyable viewing experience. It has some quite funny moments such as the scenes involving Ralph Brown as Danny the dealer, but it also has some quite sad scenes. With its soundtrack infused with the music of Jimi Hendrix and a delightful main theme, Withnail and I is quite an enjoyable film that might not be appropriate for family movie night, but a good film in a similar vein as Trainspotting.

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