“It's London in the late-60s and two young actors living on the edge of reality decide to go for a small retreat in the countryside. The rest is history...
“Set at the fag-end of the 60s, the film opens with two dissolute, unemployed actors - Withnail and 'I' (the story's narrator who is never referred to by name) - who become fed up with their squalid London abode and convince Withnail's ultra-camp uncle Monty to lend them the keys to his country cottage. Unfortunately, the rural retreat turns out to be a freezing hell-hole and, to make matters worse, Monty unexpectedly turns up and begins flirting with a decidedly reluctant 'I'. Eventually, our heroes arrive back at the Big Smoke to have, well, a big smoke.
“There are drink and drugs and groovy 60s music. Moreover, Grant and McGann are excellent throughout. But what has really given Withnail its enduring appeal is Bruce Robinson's script. Crammed with a ready-made lexicon of off-beat catch phrases. WITHNAIL AND I seesaws between hilarity and tragedy in a manner that doesn't waste a single slurred syllable. The end result is not only incredibly funny but also one of the saddest, sharpest and, hell, downright educational movies ever made. This is and always will be a perfect dark comedy and a student staple.” - Empire
Printer-friendly version
