Withnail & I - 17th May 2011

Tonights sojourn into the cellarful of celebrated celluloid, produces the cult classic;

Withnail & I

The problem with knowing that a film is hailed as a cult classic, means that you should really like it, if only to be cool, hip and trendy. The problem with that is; what happens if you're not so sure? Do you look uncool, because you don't "get it", or do you feign enjoyment to fit in?

Thus we have the dilemna with Withnail & I. Do we denounce the cult classic status or do we say it was great?

I shall sit firmly on the fence. I can quite clearly see that this could be an enjoyable film, that has students quoting lines ad infinitum. "We seem to have come on holiday by mistake".

However, it sits in a genre alongside This Is Spinal Tap. Classic films that have a cult status thrust upon them, because they are of their time. If Withnail & I were to be produced today, it would probably fail.

Bruce Robinsons' semi-autobiographical story, depicts the end of the 1960's, with two struggling actors sharing a squalid life, who then decide to get away from it all and escape to the country, on a booze filled adventure.

That is pretty much the storyline.

The thing that saves the film for me are the acting skills of Richard E Grant, Paul McGann and Ralph Brown. They absolutley nail their respective characters.

Grant plays the constant drunk; Withnail ("I must have some booze. I demand to have some booze").

McGann plays Marwood, the "& I" character. ("My thumbs have gone weird").

And Ralph Brown is superb as Danny the drug dealing dropout. ("Find your neutral space. You got a rush. It'll pass. Be seated").

So, in summation there are some funny parts, even laugh out loud moments. However, based on first viewing, it doesn't make the cult classic status in my book, but who knows, on a second viewing it might just get there. The only question remains is; will we want to watch it again?

As a footnote, on the DVD is a special feature called Withnail & Us. This is very good and goes someway to explain why the film is so admired, by so many.