Review of Withnail & I (1987) by Jennifer S — 21 Sep 2010

I really want to love Withnail and I because I've heard it's so good; and, in many ways, it IS really good. Overall, it's consistently funny. However, it failed to hold my attention. Also, the extended joke about a gay character being a predatory old lech was downright offensive (yeah, it was filmed over 20 years ago, but they still should have known better).

Withnail and I is about two out of work actors in 1969 England. In order to "rejuvenate", they take a holiday in the country, where Withnail's uncle (the above mentioned gay character) owns a ramshackle house. Withnail and Marwood endure rainy days, creepy country folk, and having to pretend they're lovers to get Monty (the uncle) to stop putting the moves on Marwood. Some of this is uproariously funny, some of it is boring. I think it would make a good culty midnight movie, but it's not very fun when you're watching it by yourself.