Original artwork, not a still
We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here, and we want them now!
— Withnail and I ‧ 1987
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Withnail in one breath: grand, entitled, broke, and convinced the world owes him a cellar. The comedy is the distance between the demand and the room it is made in. It is the film's best-known line (third in a 2003 poll of film one-liners) and the cry of every fan with a drink in hand; the film even has its own drinking game, following Withnail glass for glass.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Withnail and IShow the scene
In Withnail and I (1987, written and directed by Bruce Robinson), Uncle Monty sends the two out-of-work actors into the town near his Penrith cottage with money for Wellington boots. They spend it in a pub, then drift into a small tea room, where a drunken, imperious Withnail demands wine from the staff, in a place that plainly serves tea. Richard E. Grant, who was teetotal and allergic to alcohol, had never been drunk before the film; Robinson gave him a drinking binge so he could play it.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: Withnail and IPlot; Production (casting); LegacyReference checked
- Wikipedia: Withnail and IFilming, Stony StratfordReference checked
Context reviewed
