Set in 1969, the year in which the hippy dreams of so many young Englishmen went sour, 1986's Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I is an enduring British cult. Fellow enthusiasts cry immortal phrases from the endlessly brilliant script to one another like mating calls; "Scrubbers!", "We want the finest wines known to humanity and we want them now!" Withnail is played by the emaciated but defiantly effete Richard E Grant, "I" (i.e., Marwood) by Paul McGann. Out-of-work actors living in desperate penury in a rancid London flat, their lives are a continual struggle to keep warm, alive and in Marwood's case sane, until the pubs open. A sojourn in the country cottage of Withnail's gay Uncle Monty only redoubles their privations--they have to kill a live chicken to eat. The arrival of Monty spells further misery for Marwood as he must fend off his attentions. This borderline homophobic interlude apart, Withnail and I is a delight, enhanced by an aimless but appallingly eventful plot. Popular among students, it strikes a chord with anyone who has undergone a period of debauchery and impoverished squalor prior to finding their way onto life's straight and narrow.--David Stubbs

Withnail & I is easily my all time favourite film, there is no other film that I could watch over and over like this one without getting bored. It's the most consistently funny, touching, quotable film I've ever seen. Richard E Grant's performance is sublime and he has never been anywhere near as brilliant as this. The plot is wonderfully simplistic - 2 out of work actors go for a holiday in the lake district to 'rejuvenate' and end up staying in a derelict cottage and suffering a series of 'mishaps'. A wonderful soundtrack, and faultless performances add to it's appeal, and the dialogue is simply hilarious. The extras on this DVD are pretty good, about as complete as you're likely to get, and the inclusion of a bonus soundtrack of the incidental music is very welcome. This film, for me, is simply indispensible, if you haven't seen it - buy it now, you won't regret it. If you have, buy it anyway! A brilliant brilliant film.

The simplicity of this film, along with superb acting and a wonderful script make this a classic. I can say very little more about this film than other reviewers have already done, but i stress the importance of watching this film, especially if you are British.

The catchphrases (I'm not drunk; I've only had a little ale) resound as relevantly and humourously now as they did then, and of course the idea of the struggling acting is a constant theme and is so well epitomised here.

For the sake of your own humanity and culture I would implore you to watch this film and feast your eyes on a great episode in British film making.

For the content of the film you can read the other 100 odd reviews. I think they tend to overrate it but it is an engrossing drama of how out of work actors seek the high life and it's true enough. Out of work actors love this film , I can attest to that. What really spoils it for me is how it doesn't make me feel that it's 1969 at all. As soon as you get any long shots you start seeing cars, crash barriers, road signs and so on that you know were not a thing of that era. Sure, they have a few classic cars they use in close ups but it's mixed in with modern ones in the distance. It's all very well for young people who can't remember the 80s either, and wouldn't know the difference, but for someone who does it just reminds you this is a wannabe 1969 film. Even George Harrison, the executive producer of the film, complained that the M25 wasn't there at that time (a much more modern looking road than its predecessor) and it would have been possible to film on the A30. The film makers, I just don't know what they were thinking about. We all know mistakes creep into films but these are big ones.

This film, set in 1969 but made in the 1980's, follows the attempt of two young people trying to escape from unmoneyed squalor in London (Camden Town)for a break in the North Country in a cottage, only to find that the cottage is worse than their London lodgings...it is so true to life that, although funny, it can also be bittersweet.

As someone who lived in London for many years, I noticed that a few locations are not quite right: the place where they are stopped by the police on return from the North is the roundabout under the M40 elevated section between Little Venice and Paddington, whereas it is supposed to be off the M1; when they drive down the M1, there is a sign visible indicating the M25...whoops! The M25 was not in existence in 1969, had not even been approved or started.

To my way of thinking, the London drug dealer acquaintance, a kind of sinister Harry H. Corbett clone, was overdone, but it could be argued that that was dramatically deliberate and also true of most of the other characters.

This is a film of quality, though --and one which you will wish to keep for future viewings.

I have loss count of the amount of times I have watched this masterpiece, this film really has something very special, something very British.
Both Paul McGann and Hugh Grant give the best performances of any actors that I have ever seen, spectacularly funny yet incredibly tragic. The very last part of the film, with Withnail in the park, in the rain, is the most moving performance I have ever seen.