It’s claimed that 90% of actors in Scotland are unemployed at any given time; it’s true that thespians suffer for their art. Bruce Robinson’s black comedy with Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann brilliantly pulls apart the hardship of poverty in the late ’60s and the plight of his lead characters as they try to find their place both on the stage and in the world. The cult classic is now being re-released alongside How to Get Ahead in Advertising, Robinson and Grant’s follow-up project that satirises the marketing industry in Thatcher’s Britain.
Robinson’s story follows two out-of-work actors in London, Withnail (Grant) and Marwood (McGann), who – fed up with drug-dealers and unwashed dishes – take a jaunt to Penrith to stay at Uncle Monty’s (Richard Griffiths) cottage. Broke and unequipped (to say the least) for country living, they set out to become at one with nature, themselves, and a good bottle of wine. However, Uncle Monty’s arrival, and overly keen interest in Marwood, soon turns the trip upside-down.
Since its release in 1987, Withnail & I is now widely considered to be one of Britain’s best loved films. Robinson’s juxtaposition of comedy with tragedy is cutting, and with every scene comes another smart and witty exchange, making the film largely quotable. Despite their bleak attitudes and general ignorance, the characters are both endearing; it’s easy to laugh at them, but also hard not to sympathise. What makes Withnail & I a classic is their humbling familiarity to anyone who’s ever been a bit down and out, or felt scuppered by the hand life has dealt (careers in the arts or otherwise). To paraphrase Charles Dickens: it’s most certainly the worst of times, but quite possibly the best of them too.