Withnail and I, Review & Warning

Warning, watching Withnail and I might make you want to become an actor, live in squalor, and drink lighter fluid.

Imagine two out of work actors slowly starving in a cold, rancid London flat as the first Woodstock Festival rings in the end of the 1960s.

What better way to escape the death of the decade, and the dearth of wine, than by conning a holiday in the country out of a rich relative? Mayhem, inevitably ensues as the duo make their way to a cottage in Penrith in search of soul reviving country scenes and drinking sessions that would make Keith Richards blush.

How far will Withnail go to fuel his booze soaked lifestyle and will his friendship with Marwood survive the weekend?

If you’re searching the annals (no, annals, it’s a word, go and check) of cinematic history for something left of field to entertain your eyeballs then look no further. Cult British black comedy Withnail and I is pretty much unlike any film you’ve ever seen before.

Have a look at the terrible twosome here in the video below, with Withnail (Richard E Grant) covered in deep heat to fend off the cold while he drinks some lighter fluid and Marwood (Paul McGann) attempting to stop him.

One of the many fun facts about this film is that in this scene director Bruce Robinson put vinegar in the container which Grant expected to contain water. The little smirk on Paul McGann’s face, and the eye bulging distress on Grant’s, gives the game away to those in the know.

A less fun fact is that this addiction driven act of self-destruction actually happened.

The film is loosely based upon Bruce Robinson’s time sharing a flat with Vivian MacKerrell; a handsome, professionally trained actor whose talent couldn’t overtake his bad attitude and rampant alcoholism. MacKerrell (pictured below) drank lighter fluid for real and ended up going blind for three days as a result. Bruce Robinson has stated that he suspected this incident could have caused the throat cancer that ultimately killed MacKerrell in 1995, when he was just 50 years old.

Robinson took MacKerrell to a screening of Withnail and I once it was completed. Despite loving the film and the references to his own earlier life he was clearly saddened that he couldn’t have been involved and ultimately played the part that was based upon him. Though the film is funny, hilarious in places, the dark veins of truth are never far from the surface.

One of the reasons Withnail still appeals to audiences over 30 years after release is that despite it doing him no good, Withnail is playing by his own rules and he’s not about to change or stop for anyone, you included.

The iconic artwork for the film has done a lot to secure its reputation as a cult classic. The work was drawn by Ralph Steadman, long-time friend and collaborator of Hunter S. Thompson.

The film came dangerously close to never being made at all. When the film was only half funded the script was presented to George Harrison (of Beatles fame) who read it on a plane journey and pledged the remaining money as soon as he finished the last page. Even then the film was nearly ruined by overzealous “higher-ups” at Hand Made Films who wanted to change the dark humor of the movie into something more tried and tested although eventually (after an on-set show down) Bruce Robinson managed to persuade the company to leave him alone and made the film his way.

Top Quotes From The Film:

“I demand to have some booze.”

Danny: “Did you realize this gaf’s overrun with rodents? When I came in I saw one the size of a fucking dog.”
I: “That is a dog.”

“We've gone on holiday by mistake.”

“We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here and we want them now.”

This last quote is from the hilarious tea room scene.