Withnail & I (Widescreen)

The film is mostly a series of vignettes between the alcoholic, acerbic Withnail and the softer Marlowe. Withnail is the sort of person who is intelligent and talented enough to be anything he wanted to if he'd crawl out of a scotch bottle long enough. Marlowe is alternately exasperated by and in awe of Withnail. These are early roles for both McGann and Grant, and they show remarkable talent that would be exploited in later roles.

Though touted as a dark comedy, I found more "dark" than "comedy". There were long periods between laughs while watching this film (mostly mundane things like driving cars, watching them walk to town, and chase a farmer down to buy firewood) and it never quite felt that the film was actually building towards anything until Uncle Monty shows up to the cottage to put the moves on Marlowe. Watching McGann squirm his way out of this was definitely worth watching, but took too long to get to.

Not a horrid film, but one that generally left me with a feeling of, "What was the point of that again?"

The film itself is a joy to experience. While the plot cannot be accused of being overcomplicated, this simplicity is more than made up for in the wonderful characters and brilliant dialogue (virtually none of which can be quoted in an all-ages forum such as this). Loosely narrated by Paul McGann's "I" character, this film depicts a brief period in the life of two struggling actors as they attempt to find booze, drugs and jobs in the dying days of the 1960s. The movie covers a wide spectrum from some scenes featuring the funniest lines that you'll ever hear to small touching moments that are surprisingly moving. This is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys good moviemaking.

Every character in the picture is superbly acted and written for. It's a testament to Bruce Robinson's directing skills that the characters compliment each other so well instead of clashing and overbearing the others as could so easily have happened. The secondary characters work as well as the leads and each one adds their unique flavour to the mixture. Robinson doesn't make the mistake of giving the smaller parts too much on-screen time and having them overstay their welcome. Each character says and does no more than they need to and leaves everyone wanting more.

Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann are perfectly cast in their roles. Each bile-covered insult roles off of Grant's tongue as if he'd been swearing at McGann all his life. It's amazing that Grant is a teetotaler in real life and was relying on pure skill for most of his inspiration. Excellent acting.

The documentary that is included on the DVD is 30 minutes long and quite excellent. There are interviews with Richard E. Grant (Withnail), Paul McGann (...& I), Bruce Robinson (writer/director), Ralph Brown (Danny) and a host of other people related to the production. It's a funny and enthralling look at the people and ideas behind the film. Just fast-forward through the trainspotters.