Withnail and I is a British film made in 1986 by HandMade Films. Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, it is based on his life in London in the late 1960s.
The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and “I” (Paul McGann) who live in a squalid flat in London in 1969 while waiting for their careers to take off. Needing a holiday, they obtain the key to the country cottage belonging to Withnail’s flamboyantly ga...
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Withnail and I is a British film made in 1986 by HandMade Films. Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, it is based on his life in London in the late 1960s.
The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and “I” (Paul McGann) who live in a squalid flat in London in 1969 while waiting for their careers to take off. Needing a holiday, they obtain the key to the country cottage belonging to Withnail’s flamboyantly gay uncle Monty and drive there. The holiday is less ‘recuperative’ than they expected, and tests their friendship. They return to London and “I” moves on, while Withnail does not.
The role of Withnail was Grant's first in film and launched him into a successful career. The film also featured performances by Richard Griffiths as Withnail's Uncle Monty and Ralph Brown as Danny the drug dealer.
The film has tragic and comic elements (particularly farce), and is notable for its period music and many quotable lines. It has been described as "one of...
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