Review of Life of Brian (1979) by Lovro H — 11 Nov 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

Comedy is a tricky thing to achieve, as each individual develops their own brand and sensitivities of humour. From the age of 9, I was mainly introduced by the slapstick and childish humour of Adam Sandler and friends, which is why I cannot completely dismiss those films as complete garbage due to the nostalgia factor. As I grew, my comedic tastes have becomes more fine-tuned and become more appreciative of the intelligent and artistic intentions of the writers and actors behind their craft; but in saying that, I am still anchored by the sensibilities of my foundations.

Many consider Life of Brian to be a risky and offensive film, but in all honesty, the film does not even take any jabs at Christianity or other religion in its chosen time period. The film instead pokes fun at the life, values and culture of humanity during that period in time; this allowed the film to become more intelligent in its humour, as it would have been too easy to just simply create a satire on Jesus and his life. This approach also allows the film to raise and tackle more original and thought provoking ideas and themes, standing out shining from its peers. What drew me in and kept me entertained, was the film's ability to make fun of the Romans and keeping its perspective completely grounded on the citizens of Judea; the writers could have followed members of the Roman Empire and showed the stupidity of their values through poor and idiotic decision making.

Though the film takes bold and unique steps in its satire, it lacks the comedic punch needed in a couple of its key scenes. Some moments felt overly long and characters sometimes show desperation in their comedic execution, allowing the material to suffer rather than flourish. I know it sounds pretentious of me, but Life of Brian could have used some character development throughout his journey. The film concludes with a song that actually packs a philosophical punch in its lyrics and wraps the film's larger ideas; but in regards to the character Brian, I never got a conclusion that justifies the importance of his story.

Boldness and intelligent satire define Life of Brian but issues found in the film's screenplay, prevented the film from being an amazing comedy. Though I was let down with this film, I still possess hope in Monty Python's other films.