OFF: Dodgeball

[Carl Edlund Anderson]

On 29 Sep 2008, at 06:23 , M Holmes wrote:
> WaI is pretty well up there. What is
> it you thought good about it?


It just clicked with me immediately -- and, no, I didn't need to get  
wasted to appreciate it. ;)  I thought the characters are incredibly  
well-drawn, the writing/dialog was fantastic, and the whole film hung  
together really well.  I've certainly been through my part of living  
in reduced circumstances in slum-like conditions -- if perhaps not as  
dodgily or dramatically reduced as those in the film ;) -- but there  
was plenty that resonated with personal experience.  (OK, less the  
bits about being pursued by someone's outrageously camp uncle, thank  
heavens! :)).

The ending is, I think, a little uncertain (largely because movie is  
more character-driven than plot-driven, and its hard to know quite  
how to wrap things up), though largely carried by RE Grant's strong  
and appropriate-to-the-scene delivery of the Hamlet quotes.  I have  
been given to understand that the original intention was for Withnail  
to commit suicide, but I think that would have actually been a bit  
too pat.  I think it actually works better with Withnail delivering  
his final bow to the wolves and drifting off into the rain.  I  
wouldn't change it, I think.

It's surely one of the more "quotable" films out there. :)

Cheers,
Carl

--
Carl Edlund Anderson
http://www.carlaz.com/