JKlein9823
In my opinion, this is a pointless movie. I just don't get it. Am I missing something? I see other IMDb users are giving it favorable reviews.I watched this on DVD at a weekly "movie night" gathering. Not one viewer laughed throughout this entire alleged comedy. Being an American and unaccustomed to English accents, we had so much difficulty understanding the dialog, we had to turn on the closed captioning. Even that did not help. Could someone please explain the appeal of this film? I am baffled.
dobbiesautographs
if you have not watched this movie , then do so ASAP - this is the funniest and most quotable film I have ever watched , I have watched this movie at least a dozen times , and could quite happily watch it many more . Richard E Grant plays a particular good role as a drunk , especially because he is teetotal , every scene in this film is memorable and every line quotable in so many circumstances . every part is played to perfection 10/10 for all concerned both in front and behind the camera . if I have could have written one screenplay in my life , it would be this , this is also a very moving film & gets you thinking about life in general , the last scene is especially poignant , and brings you down from the high of the movie with a bang .
FlashCallahan
London, approaching the end of the swinging sixties. Two 'resting' actors, Withnail and 'Marwood', fed up with the damp, piles of washing-up, mad drug dealers and psychotic Irishmen, decide to leave their squalid Camden flat for an idyllic holiday in the countryside, courtesy of Withnail's uncle Monty's country cottage. When they get there, it torrential rain, there's no food, and their basic survival skills turn out to be somewhat limited. Matters are not helped by the arrival of Uncle Monty, who shows an uncomfortably keen interest in Marwood...What you may have missed on the first or even second viewing (it took me at least four) is that Robinson is basically satirising every class of person, every type of educated fellow, so no one, not even 'I' comes across as the hero in this biting movie.The titular characters are people that we see every day, educated, but rich from the bank of parents, and sitting there, miserable, putting the world to rights, when they are what is wrong with society. It's a timeless tale that's been done for every demographic, every time frame, and will continue to do so for the rest of time.But what the difference this film has from others is that Robinson demands you to care for the two. With nail is an insufferable person, one you would avoid at all costs if you saw him in a bar, but here, you just want him to make a foo of himself again, you want that Irish man in the pub to punch him, but despite all this, you like/pity him.Mar wood on the other hand is the sufferer,mother one who is misunderstood, the poet, who has a voice, but no one listens, again, someone with whom you are familiar with, but then, his voice is in his head, he rarely speaks to anyone else except Withnail, and only Monty really acknowledges both of them at the same time.So in many senses, should the film be called Withnail is I?Maybe I'm looking too much into the film, but rest assured, it's deliciously funny, Grant has never been better, and it has an awful, cold bleak feel to it, the feeling you get when the old dear bites into the egg sandwich sets the tone of the film.One of the great British comedies, indispensable.
siderite
It's hard to explain this film, as it is mostly a very weak story with a lot of great acting in it. Richard Grant makes it all worthwhile, even if this is his first role in a film. Ironically, the film is about unemployed actors looking for work. Well, it's not about them looking, it's more about them getting high and drunk and living from one day to the next looking for the next source of booze.The emotions of these impaired people are made extremely clear by the subtle but smart dialogue and the great acting of all involved. It reminded me of Trainspotting a bit, since the story is basically about drug and/or alcohol addled friends and the wonderful time one can have in this company, but also the trap that it lays for someone trying to live in the modern society. Meet the last thespian barbarians, living their lives as they see fit, while they still can, before the future catches up with them.On one side the film kind of bored me, as the scenes were slow and uneventful, on the other it fascinated me to see the great acting and to "get" the characters. It is also a subtle satire on the British society, starting with people waking up to read all those ridiculous news about crimes and corruption, and ending with a grandstanding description of "we live in a kingdom of rains where royalty comes in gangs", while the middle of the film is just people trying to survive without being part of that world.Worth a watch, definitely a good movie, just make sure you are in the mood for a slow dialogue driven film.
AD
