Withnail and I

Set in London at the end of the sixties, Withnail and I tells the tale of two 'resting' actors, Withnail (Richard E Grant) and Marwood (Paul McGann) who decide that they need a change of scene from their miserable lives in the city.

Withnail persuades his rich ex-thespian Uncle Monty into allowing them to use his country home. They hit the road in their beaten up Jaguar and unsteadily drive out of London. Once in the countryside, they find themselves without any modern conveniences, a bunch of oddball locals. And then an amorous Uncle Monty makes an unscheduled visit.

Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, who himself used to be an actor, this 1987 film is a hilarious macap comedy, which has become something of a cult classic. The script is excellent, littered with hilarious offbeat lines.

A tale of drink, drugs and 60s music, this is a great film full of wacky characters and hugely entertaining performances. Richard E Grant sneers and slurs his way through the movie with pananche and arrogance. The film closes with him giving a moving performance of a soliloquy from Hamlet. A poignant close to a hilarious film.

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