Withnail And I

[pro-bassoonist]

Set to be released in the UK on May 18th.

Variety:

Withnail & I is about the end of an era. Set in 1969 England, it portrays the last throes of a friendship mirroring the seedy demise of the hippie period, delivering some comic gems along the way.

Pic is the tale of two city boys stuck in a dilapidated country cottage in the middle of nowhere. The humor is both brutal and clever, and the acting uniformly excellent.

Pic opens with a pan round the disgusting London flat of out-of-work actors Withnail and Marwood (the 'I' of the title). Marwood (Paul McGann) is the nervous type trying to look John Lennon, while Withnail (Richard E. Grant) is gaunt, acerbic, and never without a drink in his hand.

Marwood declares the need to 'get into the countryside and rejuvenate.' A visit to Withnail's Uncle Monty secures them the loan of his country cottage, and the two head off into the night. They eventually arrive at the remote cottage, only to discover there is no light, no heat, and no water.

Uncle Monty (a standout performance by the portly Richard Griffiths) arrives with a twinkle in his eye when he is sidling up closer to Marwood. Monty's ardor and a telegram from his agent with news of a job are enough to convince Marwood that home is where the heart is, and he and Withnail retreat back to London. The two realize their friendship is coming to an end.

Pro-B