Almost immediately since its original 1987 release Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical tale has played out as a cult classic. It’s partly a hideous imagining of a period, a ghastly series of character characters desperate and ugly and more often than not is stupid in its depiction of representations of homosexuality – that said it is also a marvelously joyous film to watch. | Its depiction of drunkenness and drug excess masks the real tale – that of friendship and loyalty and the misery of the acting profession at the level of our heroes – Withnail and Marwood (‘I’) glorious played by Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann – with the amorous Uncle Monty as played by the sadly departed Richard Griffith – married to an almost threadbare hold on reality. Superb one-liners and brilliant set pieces make this a treat to watch again and again… |