Withnail and I is quoted more than it is watched — a film so lodged in British comic language that people recite whole scenes without having seen it in twenty years, and Richard E. Grant's debut performance is still one of the great screen drunks by an actor who is allergic to alcohol. The 1969 Camden squalor is beautifully shot underneath the misery. If you want a matinee that turns into an evening of quoting it, this is the one.
What to expect
A quiet weekday-matinee repertory crowd, a fair number of whom already know the lines and mouth them along. The film runs under two hours in thick regional English without subtitles, so give your ear a few minutes to tune in. Metrograph's bookshop and bar are open before and after for the inevitable quoting session.
Good to know
- Metrograph is at 7 Ludlow Street; take the F to East Broadway
- The accents are thick — subtitles are not usually provided, so sit where you can hear
- Matinees are the easiest slot to get into on short notice
- The film is about alcoholism as much as it is a comedy
- The Commissary upstairs is open for a drink afterward, appropriately enough
- Ask staff about accessible seating when booking
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Common questions
Is it a comedy?
Yes, but a bleak one — the jokes come out of genuine desperation rather than around it.
How long is it?
107 minutes.
Are there subtitles?
It is in English and typically screens without subtitles; the regional accents take a few minutes to tune into.
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