Overview
Two out-of-work actors embark on a disastrous countryside holiday, facing rain, hunger, and unexpected visitors.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- bleak
- witty
- late night viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a sharply written cult black comedy elevated by Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann's performances, while examining artists living outside respectable prosperity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Withnail and Marwood share a squalid flat, endure rural misadventures together, and remain emotionally bound despite constant friction.
The film combines drug dealers, alcohol abuse, poor living conditions, and theatrical grandiosity with highly stylized comic dialogue.
Both central characters are unemployed actors living on the fringes of prosperity while trying to preserve artistic self-image.
The supposed countryside escape is dominated by relentless rain, inadequate food, cold, and failed survival skills.
Films like Withnail & I, and why
The Trip
shared black comedy, bohemian artists, alcoholism, and sharply quotable dialogue
The Long Good Friday
shared british eccentricity, bleak humor, dysfunctional friendship, and class anxiety
Trainspotting
shared cult british comedy, substance abuse, outsider characters, and anarchic dialogue
The Rules of Attraction
shared darkly comic portrait of misanthropic friends, social marginality, and alcohol-fueled self-destruction
Movie Details
- Director
- Bruce Robinson
- Release Date
- 1987-06-19
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (644)
Cast
- Richard E. Grant
- Paul McGann
- Richard Griffiths
- Ralph Brown
- Michael Elphick
- Daragh O'Malley
- Michael Wardle
- Una Brandon-Jones
- Noel Johnson
- Irene Sutcliffe
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, TCM
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Withnail & I about?
- Two unemployed actors escape their grimy London flat for a disastrous countryside retreat that exposes the loyalty and limits of their bohemian friendship.
- What is Withnail & I like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Withnail & I as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Withnail & I violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Withnail & I as mild.
- What did critics think of Withnail & I?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a sharply written cult black comedy elevated by Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann's performances, while examining artists living outside respectable prosperity.
- Which films are like Withnail & I?
- Films with a similar feel include The Trip, The Long Good Friday, Trainspotting, and The Rules of Attraction.
- How long is Withnail & I?
- Withnail & I runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Withnail & I?
- In United States, Withnail & I streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, TCM.
