joeelsey14 🎬’s review published on Letterboxd:
‘Withnail and I’ is a film I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. The script brims with sharp humour, vile insults, cutting sarcasm, and some of the most unforgettable lines I’ve come across in film! It’s a comedy that’s completely unique, and I can’t think of many others that come close. Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann delivering this razor-sharp dialogue is what makes ‘Withnail and I’ so fcking good! I’ve hardly seen Grant in anything else, but he’s utterly brilliant here. Withnail is such a standout character, and Grant’s performance is easily one of the funniest I’ve ever seen.
This film might just be the most quotable in cinema, I swear. The lines are iconic, but it’s also the way they’re delivered that had me laughing so much. The late Richard Griffiths deserves some credit too; he was excellent as Uncle Monty, adding his own chaotic energy to the film.
The comedy is what makes this film such a standout for me. There are so many brilliant moments that I couldn’t stop laughing at. The police officer screaming, “Get in the back of the van!” at Withnail was hilarious because of the sheer absurdity of his tone. And the ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ scene with Presuming Ed in the bath, Marwood panicking out of his mind on drugs, Danny’s bizarre yet hilarious dialogue in the background, Withnail completely zoned out, and Ed spinning that globe muttering random nonsense; it’s all just perfectly ridiculous.
The last 25 minutes had me pissing myself, thanks to the moments I mentioned above! The chaotic energy builds so well, and the characters just become more unhinged in the best way possible. Honestly, this is one of those rare films that feels like pure entertainment from start to finish. It’s an absolute comedy gem, and I can’t imagine anyone doing it better than this cast. It seems to be an unknown film for the vast majority on Letterboxd but it’s golden 🤣. 4.5/5.
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