1/15/09

Bob's Big Screen

Little-known comedic gems outshine newer releases

by Bob Connally

It's a new year, so get it off to a good start by checking out an obscure classic or two.

"Withnail and I"

(R, 1987)

"Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day, and for once I'm inclined to believe Withnail is right. We are indeed drifting into the arena of the unwell." So says Marwood (Paul McGann) as he takes stock of his existence in a grubby apartment in 1969 London. He and Withnail (Richard E. Grant) are two struggling actors who haven't found work or a decent meal in months. They attempt to maintain their sanity through heavy consumption of drugs and alcohol. "I must have some booze. I DEMAND to have some booze!" Withnail declares.

Marwood suggests rejuvenating with a trip away from the city, but Withnail will take some convincing. "Rejuvenate? I'm in a park and I'm practically dead. What good's the countryside?" Still, Withnail convinces his Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths) to lend them the key to his cabin in the country.

Once they arrive, however, it's clear that this is not the getaway they'd been hoping for. They spend their first night using the furniture for firewood. It's all downhill from there. Inhospitable locals, a crazy poacher, a bull and, perhaps most terrifying of all, Uncle Monty make life miserable for the title characters.

In essence that is the entire plot of "Withnail and I." Bruce Robinson's film is a lesson to writers and directors everywhere that when you create great characters and write the sharpest dialogue known to man, plot is of little importance.

Robinson also shows that jokes are not a necessity for great comedy. Withnail and Marwood are not trying to be funny. They don't want to be and they certainly don't find anything funny about their plight. It is only funny from the outside and, as much as we sympathize with them, we cannot help but laugh hysterically.

There is an underlying sadness however, as we see Withnail wasting his talents by diving so far into drugs and alcohol, things which Marwood has learned to use with a certain amount of restraint.

Grant and McGann were both relative newcomers but you would never know it from their performances. Withnail's drunken theatricality is embodied brilliantly by teetotaler Grant. The character's absolute belief in his own brilliance is matched only by his resentment for the rest of the world. "How DARE you?" he often snarls. Grant perfectly conveys Withnail's deep depression while remaining absolutely hilarious. McGann brings subtlety and reserve to the role of Marwood, serving as the counter-point to the melodramatic Withnail. Griffiths and Ralph Brown, as Danny the Drug Dealer, are brilliant in supporting roles as well.

"Withnail and I" is my all-time favorite film. It resonates with me in a very personal way, even though I don't drink or do drugs, I'm not British, I wasn't around for the sixties, I'm not an out-of-work actor, and I don't live in the world's filthiest apartment. It's because it is a film about friendship and what happens when friendships end. It is also because, as a movie fanatic, there is nothing I love more than great dialogue. For my money, no film is more quotable than Robinson's tale of two friends who've "gone on holiday by mistake."

So pick up "the finest wines available to humanity" and sit back and enjoy "Withnail and I." 

Robinson has only made two films since his debut, including the wonderfully demented "How to Get Ahead in Advertising," also starring Richard E. Grant. He is getting back into the director's chair this spring for "The Rum Diary" starring Johnny Depp (a "Withnail" fanatic himself), based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson.

Real Life

(PG, 1979)

Twenty years before Americans became obsessed with "Survivor" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," Albert Brooks was giving the reality genre its very own satire. I wonder if Brooks realized just how far ahead of his time he really was.

Brooks stars as a fictionalized, high strung, and highly annoying (in the funniest possible way) version of himself. He's embarking on a great experiment to film the lives of a real American family for one year. That lucky family happens to be the Yeagers from Arizona. Warren (Charles Grodin) is a veterinarian who's very excited to be a part of the project. Mrs. Yeager, however (Francis Lee McCain), and their two children are not so sure about being followed around with cameras for the next twelve months.

Brooks is confident though. After all, the footage is being filmed with the unobtrusive Ettnauer 226XL, a camera that is worn like a helmet out of a low-budget science fiction movie. He proudly boasts, "Only six of these cameras were ever made. Only five of them ever worked. We have four of those."

Reluctantly, the rest of the Yeager family attempts to make the best of the situation, but it doesn't take long for things to unravel for everyone involved, especially Warren. During surgery on a horse, Brooks' meddling creates a nightmare for Warren that is gut-bustingly funny for the audience. Soon the nightmare belongs to Brooks, as the Yeagers attempt to pull the plug on the movie. It all leads to an ending worthy of "Gone With the Wind." At least that's what Brooks tells himself.

Like Bruce Robinson, Albert Brooks isn't terribly interested in jokes. He finds comedy in people and the way in which they inevitably embarrass themselves if they know they're on camera. As a writer, Brooks carefully considers each and every dry word. Each one has a purpose. This is hand-crafted comedy from a master on the subject. It's no wonder that this comic genius was born with the name Albert Einstein.

New to DVD

Jan. 20 -

Repo! The Genetic Opera (R)

Max Payne (PG-13)

The Express (PG)

Jan. 27 -

Fireproof (PG)

"Bourne" Trilogy (Blu-Ray)

Lakeview Terrace (R)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Pride and Glory (R)