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Withnail and I

Play trailer Poster for Withnail and I R 1987 1h 42m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood (Paul McGann) and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths), they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.
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Withnail and I

Withnail and I

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Critics Consensus

Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann prove irresistibly hilarious as two misanthropic slackers in Withnail and I, a biting examination of artists living on the fringes of prosperity and good taste.

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Critics Reviews

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Victoria Mather Daily Telegraph (UK) 04/04/2025
In many ways Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I is what the great and good British film industry is all about. It is an eccentric, intimate and well-written independent production that would never have seen the light of day in Hollywood. Go to Full Review Derek Malcolm Guardian 04/04/2025
There is a certain kind of movie that gets praised not so much because of its virtues as because, in some strange way, we suspect that no one would ever dare make its like again. Withnail and I is one of those enterprises. Go to Full Review Neil Norman London Evening Standard 04/04/2025
If the film belongs to anyone, it is Richard E. Grant, who takes the dissolute and mannered character of Withnail and creates a Wildean creature of tragi-comic proportions, the like of which has not been seen in a British film for some time. Go to Full Review Jonathan Kiefer Screen Slate 1d
For that matter, with its one-has-to-laugh feeling of being basically doomed, too distracted, and forever unable to slow down, it’s also unnervingly, perhaps perpetually current. Go to Full Review Bradley Gibson Film Threat 06/05/2025
10/10
The film can be enjoyed on many levels, including getting just interplanetary on your favorite substance and waiting for the plethora of quotable lines. Go to Full Review Rudie Obias Battleship Pretension 05/24/2025
It’s truly a cult classic and one of the best films from Bruce Robinson, a director who has made far too little during his filmmaking career. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David B @DavidDorset1966 May 25 An epic and completely defining film of friendship, middle class squalor and dreams. And incredibly funny (non-UK audiences may find the humour too eccentric).... See more T P @price8567 Oct 7 Plays like a student film. Overly dramatic and clumsy dialogue. Actors playing for the camera. Yet it does hold your attention enough to see it through. See more Mike M @RT09645912 Sep 18 Simply my favorite movie of all time . It never gets old and I know the dialouge by heart. Slow at times but some CLASSIC lines and great acting with memorable characters. Late 60's London never looked so bleak, or funny. Grant never topped this role. One for your collection See more Tracey D @RT38134325 07/15/2025 This film it's an all-time classic. The acting is outstanding. The script is fantastic and it's a must film for everybody to see one of my all-time favourites See more Kevin L @Lakeman 06/11/2025 Pfft...another overrated, overhyped hipster flick. The Criterion Closet crew are rife with the likes of this lot. Sure, it was fine. But I'm not stewin' in my Wellingtons over it. Some prat & his mate lush it up in the countryside and in their hovel, hustling to avoid, the landlord, coppers, and ol' uncle randy pants Monty. And enough w/ the damn rain already. The Danny actor was three types of annoying. And s/one needs to shut up Presumin' Ed from his globe-spinning tantra. Nice littler soliloquy at the end, however. 3 stars See more Bob T @RT53747281 05/26/2025 "We've gone on holiday by mistake" sums it (life) all up. See more Read all reviews
Withnail and I

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Cast & Crew

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Bruce Robinson

Director

Richard E. Grant

Withnail

Paul McGann

Peter Marwood

Richard Griffiths

Monty

Ralph Brown

Danny

Michael Elphick

Jake

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Withnail and I

Withnail and I (1987) Withnail and I (1987) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood (Paul McGann) and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty (Richard Griffiths), they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.
Director
Bruce Robinson
Producer
Paul M. Heller
Screenwriter
Bruce Robinson
Production Co
Cineplex-Odeon Films
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 19, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 15, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$27.0K
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Stereo