Dear Movies, I Love You – Dry January Part II & Withnail and I (1987)

Hosts: Millie De Chirico & Casey O’Brien
Release Date: January 6, 2026
Episode Theme: Exploring Withnail and I through the lens of Dry January, personal drinking histories, and the nuances of unhealthy friendships, plus film community advice and oral history recommendations.

Episode Overview

Millie and Casey kick off 2026 embracing Dry January—the annual tradition of going booze-free for the first month of the year—by pairing it with an in-depth, humorous look at Bruce Robinson’s boozy cult classic Withnail and I (1987). Conversation meanders from hilarious personal anecdotes about drinking and acting to insightful takes on male friendship, artistic frustration, and the right way to build a film community. The episode wraps with listener questions and thematic movie recommendations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dry January and Personal Relationships with Alcohol

• Millie and Casey playfully debate the wisdom, effectiveness, and cultural roots of Dry January, poking fun at the tradition and their own consumption:

  • “It is a tradition amongst drunks like Casey, where they stop drinking alcohol for the month, I guess, in order to, I don’t know, clean out their system after the holidays.”
    — Millie (06:00)

• Casey admits to loving martinis ("Alcohol is one of the joys of my life…", 59:34) but questions whether the ‘all or nothing’ approach of Dry January is truly healthy.

  • “My opinion on dry January is that if you really need a dry month, that's not good...I don't think binge drinking in general is good.”
    — Casey (73:25)

2. Film Diary: Recent Watches & Cinephile Tales

• Casey describes watching Queens of the Dead (dir. Tina Romero), highlighting the creative zombie-makeup twist and the joy of supporting indie horror (“Zombie makeup was basically like fab drag queen makeup. They’re green…but they look, like, wonderful and beautiful.”, 15:31).
• Millie regales listeners with a story of meeting horror legend George Romero at a FilmStruck party.

3. Main Feature: Withnail and I (1987)

Black Comedy, Male Friendship, and Escaping Failure

• Both hosts dissect the film’s genre and place in the canon:

  • “Would you say...I feel like we don't use this term anymore, but a black comedy?”
    — Casey (17:10)
  • “Everything’s a black comedy now. Everything’s dark, I guess.”
    — Millie (17:26)

• Richard E. Grant’s Withnail is celebrated as a magnetic, stylish, and complex drunk. Millie:

  • “Richard E. Grant...looks like he’s got this kind of like 80s Peter Murphy from Bauhaus meets Nick Cave look...” (18:50)
  • Both hosts swoon over Grant’s enduring handsomeness, noting his recent social media presence (20:40).

• Personal Connections:

  • Casey reveals his own thespian past, paralleling his years as an out-of-work actor in LA with the film’s depiction of artistic aimlessness and substance abuse.
  • “It was me. I lived with my friend Tom, and...we just would smoke cigarettes all day and drink all night and just be like, miserable...” (31:01)
  • Extended discussion delves into their high school theater society days (24:00–29:00), letterman jackets, and the pain, humor, and humility of low-income, early-career creative living.

Plot Breakdown & Social Commentary

• Plot Recap:

  • Two failing actors, Withnail and Marwood, escape London squalor for a disastrous country retreat thanks to Withnail’s predatory uncle, Monty.
  • The film explores desperation, dysfunctional loyalty, and the fleeting nature of formative friendships.

• Roommate Horror Stories:

  • Both hosts recount their own messy housemates and acknowledge the universal squalor of 20-something existence.
  • “I have lived with so many dudes in my life, and that’s all I have to say.” — Millie (49:02)

• Country Retreats & English Suffering:

  • Millie describes “cottagecore” fantasies dissolving in the face of real English weather:
    “Anytime I see a movie about people who are staying in England and then the weather is bad and it turns ugly...I start to think that it is the most miserable place you could ever be.” (47:24)

Notable Characters & Quotes

• Danny the Drug Dealer:

  • Both hosts recognize Withnail’s Danny (Ralph Brown) as essentially reprising his role in Wayne’s World 2:
    “Upon seeing this movie again...I was like, it’s gotta be from Wayne’s World.” — Millie (38:34)

• Uncle Monty’s Predatory Behavior:

  • Millie interrogates queer representation and the problematic, tragic pathos of Uncle Monty (53:58–55:56), including a poignant analysis of shame, gay coding, and generational gap.

• Richard E. Grant’s Sobriety:

  • Millie shares a remarkable anecdote:

  “The irony is that Grant doesn’t produce the enzyme that processes alcohol and is consequently unable to drink at all...he seems to have spent a lot of time on the Withnail set throwing up.” (57:38)

• On Playing Drunk:

  • Casey: “I think it’s really hard to portray drunkenness, especially if you’re not totally familiar with it.” (57:47)
  • Recalls Meryl Streep’s advice: “To play a convincing drunk, you have to pretend like you’re not drunk.” (58:17)

4. Endings, Friendship Breakups, and Growing Up

• As Marwood leaves Withnail behind, the hosts reflect on outgrowing destructive friendships:
  • “He’s had enough trauma from this friendship where he’s just, like, not looking back. And I have to say, I kind of agree with him.” — Millie (63:06)
  • Both discuss the painful but necessary evolution away from people whose self-destruction becomes unsustainable:
    • “...A lot of our friendship was spent, like, mutually ragging out people and just ragging out each other, and, you know, it didn’t feel positive…” — Millie (67:32)
    • Casey talks about the natural erosion of male friendships and how sometimes, “if I decide to stop bothering, then the friendship really does go away.” (64:48)

5. Listener Film Advice and Community Building

Creating a Local Film Scene (74:53)

• Millie outlines the thriving Atlanta film community, centered around “Videodrome” video store and the Plaza Theater. She encourages starting small—volunteer at local arts venues, coalesce around shared spaces, and just put yourself out there.
• Casey: “If you want to create something of your own…even if it’s a small version of it—do that. It’ll attract people, like-minded people. When you create something…you attract your community.” (78:54)

When Critics Disagree with Your Taste (81:36)

• Listener Linda (in soothing ASMR tones) worries about loving a movie that critics dismissed.
• Both hosts reassure her—loving what you love is personal and valid.
  • “Even if someone you respect…doesn’t like something that you liked, that means nothing. It doesn’t negate your liking of the movie.” — Casey (85:01)

Oral History Book Recommendations (87:59)

• Millie:
  • My Lunches with Orson by Peter Biskind (“funnest, bitchiest, raddest book ever”) (87:59)
  • Hollywood: The Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson (“good basic oral history book…with so many famous people…”) (89:18)

6. Employee Picks: More "Sad British" Movies

• Millie: The Trip (2010) — “Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden…travel, you know, to, like, different locales in the UK and eat…drive each other fucking crazy. It kind of reminded me of Withnail and I.” (90:34)
• Casey: Naked (1993, Mike Leigh) — “Living in squalor, but they're also intellectuals…a much tougher watch than Withnail and I but that's my pick.” (91:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Casey’s “Baby with the big hair” acting past:
  “If you don’t post that, I’m quitting, period.” — Millie (35:03)
• On quitting toxic bar friendships in her 20s:
  “A lot of our friendship was spent, like, mutually ragging out people and just ragging out each other...” — Millie (67:32)
• On adult letterman jackets:
  “If you wear your jacket from high school still as an adult, yikes.” — Millie (27:44)
• On bad roommates:
  “I have lived with so many dudes in my life, and that's all I have to say.” — Millie (49:02)
• Reflecting on lost friendships:
  “Friendships are often a product of circumstance more than deep compatibility.” — Casey (paraphrased from 64:00+)
• Richard E. Grant’s performance despite lifelong sobriety:
  “The irony is that Grant doesn’t produce the enzyme that processes alcohol and is consequently unable to drink at all.” — Millie (57:38)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------|---------------| | Casey’s acting woes / drinking jokes | 02:02 | | Dry January begins / Episode theme | 05:41 | | Fast food & New Year’s resolutions | 09:06 | | Film Diary: Queens of the Dead | 13:40 | | Main discussion: Withnail and I introduction | 17:09 | | Casey’s acting backstory | 23:42–31:01 | | Living with bad roommates | 49:02 | | Cottage misery & travel with friends | 43:21–47:24 | | Uncle Monty analysis & Grant's sobriety | 52:00–59:34| | Personal reflections on endings, friendship breakups | 63:34–72:00 | | Listener Advice: Film community | 74:36–80:28 | | Listener Advice: Critic disagreements | 81:36 | | Oral History Book Recommendations | 87:59–90:18 | | Employee Picks | 90:34 |

Overall Tone & Style

Conversational, wry, and self-deprecating, the episode balances serious insight about friendship, addiction, creative struggle, and growing up with a steady stream of pop culture references, personal confessions, and generous asides.

For Next Week

Prepare to get even more bleak:
Millie and Casey announce next week’s film will be Elem Klimov’s Come and See (1985), promising a harrowing but essential anti-war cinematic experience.

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Summary prepared by the Dear Movies Podcast Summarizer: Covering everything from dry months to drunken masterpieces, so you never miss the real story.