Criterion year Week 18: Withnail and I

The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover.

We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with...

Week 18:

Withnail and I

Spine Number: 119

Director: Bruce Robinson

Genre: Comedy

Some movies just feel like they were made for you. The characters make a different kind of sense on a certain level, they are just bizarre enough to make complete sense, and the dialogue hits on all cylinders. When you find one of these movies you wonder how you managed to miss it for all of those years because it was clearly made just for you.

Withnail and I is such a film.

I purchased it sight unseen based off the suggestion of a college friend and just assumed that Clarkson had seen it and had the entire thing memorized. Turns out, he'd never heard of it. So, one Saint Patrick's Day around 11 years ago, we sat down with a large amount of alcohol, Withnail and I, The Long Good Friday, The Boondock Saints, Michael Collins, In The Name of The Father, and The Departed. Yes, it was a lot of movies to watch in one day, but we didn't really have anything else to do, and that beer and whiskey wasn't going to drink itself.

So, I got to share this amazing film with someone else who would find it just as oddly captivating as I did.

The dialogue is fantastic, the characters are hilarious, and the performances... good GOD! Top to bottom this thing is full of scene stealing performance after scene stealing performance. Richard E. Grant's Withnail dominates every scene he's in, unless Richard Griffiths is on screne (in which case he takes complete ownership), Paul McGann gives an understated performance that just highlights the madness around him, Ralph Brown originating the character he would play again in Wayne's World 2... it's just... well, to quote Danny, "That's politics, man."

So check it out with us. If you've never seen it, grab a drink and njoy, if you have seen it, do the same. A good time will be had by all.

Next week:

Spine number 118: Sullivan's Travels

A genuinely wonderful comedy classic.

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Thanks for listening, and until next week...

Jim out.