Directed by Bruce Robinson • 1986 • United Kingdom
Starring Paul McGann, Richard E. Grant, Richard Griffiths
The ultimate cult British comedy, Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical cinematic bender is a feast of delectably florid dialogue delivered with deadpan relish by stars Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann as, respectively, Withnail and “I,” a pair of perpetually soused, unemployed actors in 1960s London who, desperate to escape their nightmarishly grimy flat, embark on a hilariously misbegotten country getaway beset by menacing locals, bare cupboards, and a randy uncle—all of which they may be able to withstand as long as they don’t run out of alcohol. While Robinson’s dazzling script yields quotable moments galore, it’s the film’s bittersweet evocation of a friendship gradually unraveling that gives this beloved end-of-youth tale its lasting poignancy.
Up Next in HandMade Films
-
Track 29
Directed by Nicolas Roeg • 1988 • United Kingdom
Starring Theresa Russell, Gary Oldman, Christopher LloydThe ever-provocative Nicolas Roeg brings his flair for the strange, the kinky, and the surreal to this outré Oedipal psychodrama. Unhappily married to a neglectful husband (Christopher Lloy...
-
Mona Lisa
Directed by Neil Jordan • 1986 • United Kingdom
Starring Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael CaineThe brilliant breakthrough film by writer-director Neil Jordan journeys into the dark heart of the London underworld to weave a gripping, noir-infused love story. Bob Hoskins received a multitude of ...
-
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
Directed by Bruce Robinson • 1988 • United Kingdom, United States
Starring Richard E. Grant, Rachel Ward, Richard WilsonWriter-director Bruce Robinson and star Richard E. Grant, the cracked comic geniuses behind the cult favorite WITHNAIL AND I, reteamed for this diabolically dark satire of run...
