Misery meets debauchery in Withnail and I

Reelworld Screen Institute staff members Safia Abdigir, Hannah Yohannes, Alison Cosgrove and Pahull Bains take over Hollywood Suite’s four channels Sept 29 and 30 showcasing some of their favourite films from the 70s through to today. 

I’ve watched this British cult hit multiple times but man do those opening scenes hit differently when you’re watching it with pandemic eyes. Centred around two friends and flatmates, both struggling actors perpetually low on work and high on booze, the film opens with the duo in their squalid apartment in 1960s London. Dishes are piled up in the sink and on every conceivable kitchen surface, there’s no food, the house is a disgraceful mess and its inhabitants are languishing in a state of malaise with nothing to do and only alcohol and cigarettes for company.

“I think we’ve been in here too long. I feel unusual,” says Withnail, a sentiment every single person must have expressed during lockdown at some point or another. “I think we should go outside.”

The desperate desire for a change of scenery leads Withnail to request his well-to-do uncle to lend him and his flatmate (the “I” in the story is Marwood, although he isn’t addressed by name in the film at all) the use of his countryside home for a little while. A couple of days into their holiday, which is anything but idyllic, Withnail’s Uncle Monty arrives unexpectedly in the middle of the night. It turns out Monty (who is gay) has taken a liking to Marwood, and in order to secure their stay at the country cottage, Withnail led him to believe that Marwood (who is not gay) may reciprocate his amorous feelings. There are currents of gay panic running through the film, which may be reflective of that time period but still make for slightly uncomfortable viewing until you get to a moving scene between Monty and Marwood in which the older gentleman, trying to coax the latter into bed, says: “You mustn’t hold back, let it ruin your youth as I nearly did… It’s society’s crime, not ours.” There’s a tenderness to Monty even in his rather rabid overtures and a pall of regret that hangs over him, which helps to soften the whole pursuit-of-Marwood scenario, otherwise played largely for laughs.

Understandably, Marwood is not amused and this is where the cracks in the relationship between him and Withnail deepen into fissures. Frustrated with Withnail’s round-the-clock drinking and lack of ambition beyond commanding his agent to find him starring roles, Marwood begins to pull away and this is where the real beauty of the story lies. It’s not really about two gadabout actors looking for a good time at all, but about that period in early adulthood when you finally begin to cast off juvenile pre-occupations in pursuit of something solid and tangible… which often involves casting off juvenile friends too.

Based on writer/director Bruce Robinson’s own experiences as a struggling actor surrounded by other boozing wannabe-creatives in a cramped apartment in London, the film explores a certain type of co-dependent friendship that often serves to hold one or both people back, rather than lifting them up. There are elements of both the comic and the tragic in the film, fitting for a story about thespians, but also reflective of life itself. There come moments in everyone’s life when we realize the party’s over, that we’ve outgrown something and we must move on without it—but what happens when it’s a person who’s left behind?

In addition to spectacular performances by Richard E Grant (in his first starring role) as Withnail, Paul McGann as Marwood, and acting veteran Richard Griffiths as Monty, the screenplay is razor sharp and laugh-out-loud funny, chock full of fantastic one-liners like “we’ve gone on holiday by mistake” and “we are indeed drifting into the arena of the unwell.” Over three decades after its release, the imminently quotable film continues to earn loyal fans across the globe, solidifying its status as a cult classic. So go on, pour yourself the finest wines available to humanity and enjoy the debauchery of Withnail and Marwood, thanking the heavens all the while that you don’t have to live with them.

Pahull’s Pick– September 30

Withnail and I – 9pm ET on HS80

Pahull Bains, Reelworld Outreach and Marketing Manager

Born and raised in India, Pahull is an experienced magazine writer/editor, with nearly 10 years experience in the industry and bylines in publications like Vogue India, GQ India, Wired and Billboard. Before coming to Reelworld, she was the Culture/Lifestyle Editor at FASHION Canada and remains a Contributing Editor at Vogue India, where she writes about film, fashion and the arts. As the Outreach and Marketing Manager at Reelworld, she works on sponsor, industry and media outreach.