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Withnail and I [DVD] [] [1900] [1 disc] [Region 1]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Bruce Robinson's semi-autobiographical account of his early years as an actor has become a cult hit of massive proportions, inspiring countless numbers of young men and women to quote stars Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant and their booze-soaked dialogue. The story follows these two unemployed actors in 1969 London, as they take a holiday in the country. Trapped inside a dank, empty cabin with each other, an endless downpour of heavy rain battering their roof, the two men form a complicated bond fueled by booze, disaster, and nihilism. Though not much happens in terms of plot, WITHNAIL AND I is one of the most subtly hilarious films to come out of 1980's Britain.
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Credits

Paul McGann, Richard E. Grant, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown
Critic Reviews

"...A small, wise, breezy footnote [to the 1960's]....Genuinely funny..."
New York Times
"...The humor is both brutal and clever, and the acting uniformly excellent..."
Variety
"...WITHNAIL AND I is as good to look at as it is to listen to.....A knockout directorial debut..."
Los Angeles Times
"...Never before had the antics of two boozers been portrayed as charmingly and unapologetically as in Bruce Robinson's semiautobiographical story..."
Entertainment Weekly
5 stars out of 5 -- "Robinson's classic film about two drink-sodden out of work actors going on holiday by mistake has lost none of its poignant hilarity."
Ultimate DVD
"[I]t crackles with stoner wit and despairing self-indulgence, and confirms Richard E. Grant's caddish and cowardly sot Withnail as one of English film's great grotesques."
Sight and Sound
5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his remains essential cinema for newcomers, but beyond nostalgia there's plenty to come back to, like the gorgeously grotty production design."
Empire
3 stars out of 4 - "An original and quirky comedy from the 80s with a memorable performance from Grant."
Premiere