Withnail and I (1987)

This film is about two struggling actors whose squalid habitat would make Tyler Durden proud. One looks a bit like Lennon and is poetic, he is the eponymous "I". The other is handsome, upper class, foppish and perpetually drunk, he is the titular Withnail. These two youths take a fun alcohol fuelled journey to the English countryside to holiday in a shack owned by Withnail's uncle Monty. It is a comedy which at some moments will darken your soul.

This is called black humour folks and the only other film I've seen in this league is Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove.

This film is also about two struggling actors whose squalid habitat could be described as truly pitiful. In fact their entire existence seems pathetic as they fail to get work and pass their days drinking themselves into premature liver failure. One is anxiety prone paranoid who lets his friend dictate his life, the other is Withnail, a high-brow alcoholic. They embark on a disruptive journey to the English countryside full of drunken mishaps. It is a tragedy that will at some points make you laugh.

And that is why Withnail and I is a cult British film. The interpretation of the events in the film lies solely in the eyes of the viewer. And despite being billed as one of the greatest examples of black comedy  I believe that was the intention. One of the many stories about its production is about the determination of the director to not use any of the takes that made his crew members laugh. Another story mentions that the film was almost shut down three days into production because one of its producers thought that it had no discernible jokes.

Have you seen Inglourious Basterds? Do you remember the scene where Lt. Aldo Raine asks a German to point out where the Nazi artillery and snipers are located on a map and when he refuses has him beaten to death in front of two other soldiers. Another soldier is shot in the back and the last soldier when as by Lt. Raine immediately divulges the information. This scene is funny. It made me laugh. It made the characters laugh. But if you really think about it this was a very uncomfortable scene and this terrified soldier should not have made us laugh. Withnail and I is like that, there are scenes that are hilarious and instantly quotable, but there are so many moments that make you chuckle which just shouldn't.

In my mind it also raises a question. At what point does amusing become depressing and vice versa? Would this still be a black comedy if the exact same events had taken place but his time the characters were injecting heroin into their bloodstreams?

This film also presents us with some fascinating characters. If you're not looking for character study then you can find the characters make marvelous caricatures. And behind them is great acting and clever writing. Richard Griffiths (Uncle Dursley form the Harry Potter movies) gives a cracking performance as Uncle Monty (hmmm...me thinks a connection there is). And Richard Grant's Withnail is unforgettable. Watch this film. You'll either like it or love it. Don't get fooled by the gloom of my review though, this film will definitely make you laugh.

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

My Rating: 8.5/10