Review of Withnail & I (1987) by Jared E — 17 Jul 2011
Great writing that shines through fascinating, funny characters. I like to think of Withnail & I as the lesser-known version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and that's not just because it has Ralph Steadman artwork.
Really, it's the same basic premise: two strung-out men stumbling around a film, only here, their poison of choice is alcohol, not hard drugs. Withnail and Marwood are two down on their luck actors.
Marwood suggests a weekend in the country. They go. Sounds like a pretty thin plot, right? Well, it works because the writing is so excellent, and Withnail (Richard E. Grant) is such an eccentric drunk that you cannot take your eyes off him.
He is such an unconventional and bizarre person, you really believe that he is fueled by alcohol. There is a bit of a cultural barrier; this is the second time I've watched it in the last month. I felt I missed a lot watching it without subtitles and didn't want to give a review of it until I had taken in everything this intriguing movie has to offer, but going back and watching it with subtitles, I still ended up not getting the same parts.
It's well worth your time; it's a movie I am sure I will be watching again in the near future.
This review of Withnail & I (1987) was written by Jared E on 17 Jul 2011.
Withnail & I has generally received very positive reviews.
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