Withnail & I
1987
Director: Bruce Robinson
Starring: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths
In terms of razor sharp witticisms and bizarrely black comedy, I doubt any other film quite reaches the same heights – or, rather, depths – as Withnail & I. This is a film that has inspired some truly rabid followers, preaching its gospel. Even before I started purposely watching movies from 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I had seen this one because a friend of mine just wouldn’t shut up about it. “You’ll love it, OMG, it’s hysterical, BEST MOVIE EVER!”
Not quite.
Withnail (Grant) and his friend, the “& I” from the title (McGann), are unemployed actors living in 1969 London. Their apartments are a mess, they don’t work, they don’t eat, instead spending their time drinking and complaining and developing a disdain for the common man. Fed to the gills with their dire circumstances, they decide to ask Withnail’s Uncle Monty (Griffiths) to borrow his country cottage to “get away from it all.” As soon as they get to the country, shenanigans ensue, and they realize they are hardly any better off there than they are in town.
This is comedy, to be sure, but it is a dire black-hearted comedy. I’m hit or miss when it comes to black comedy, and even with a number of the gags in this film, I’m hit or miss. There were moments when I was legitimately laughing, and moments when I felt nothing but uncomfortable at what was supposed to be a funny situation. So I agree with the legions in terms of this being a funny film, but I was not continually amused.
