Withnail and I

A top-shelf cult classic, writer/director Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I is one of the most adored and oft-quoted British films of the late 20th century. Living in squalor in a late-1960s London flat, the unabashedly dramatic Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and the more levelheaded I (Paul McGann, informly known as "Marwood") are aspiring unemployed actors who deal with their misfortune by getting increasingly inebriated by any means possible, including swigging lighter fluid. Disgusted with their own abysmal living conditions, the lads embark on a rural getaway at the cottage of Withnail's Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths), who develops a distinctly unwholesome affection for Marwood. Whether drinking in London or flailing about in the countryside, Withnail and Marwood are unfailingly entertaining, doling out darkly hilarious lines from Robinson's brilliant semi-autobiographical screenplay, including "My thumbs have gone weird" and "I must have some booze. I demand to have some booze!" Beneath the cheeky remarks, however, there is plenty of pathos, as both Withnail and Marwood are troubled individuals openly burdened by their mundane existence. Thankfully, Uncle Monty pops up to enliven the mood, and the boys also benefit from their amusing exchanges with the supremely mellow Danny (Ralph Brown), who brings both sage stoner advice and his ridiculous "Camberwell Carrot." A film truly deserving of it revered status, Withnail and I is nothing less than essential cinematic viewing, particularly for those inclined toward mordant English humor.