Review of Life of Brian (1979) by Dave C — 28 Mar 2010

While smartly written, Life of Brian simply doesn't do it for me quite as much as its predecessor.

For me, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is... Well, the holy grail of comedies. Nothing even comes within a mile of it. I first saw Life of Brian around the same time I first saw Holy Grail; when I was quite young. It never wowed me then, and my opinion mostly holds true here after seeing it again.

I just don't find it as funny. That's pretty much it. The message is great, the writing is superb, but I just don't think it's nearly as gut-bustingly hilarious as Holy Grail. What it boils down to is, when I sit down and watch Monty Python, I do so for their unique brand of absurd humor that caters directly to my sensibilities so that I can laugh my ass off. Life of Brian doesn't accomplish this as well as Holy Grail or Flying Circus.

What it does accomplish is that it is, as many have said, a lot smarter than the rest of their output. But in what way? I'd argue that Holy Grail is the smartest comedy ever made, but not in any of the same ways that Life of Brian is smart. This movie is smart because it's an extremely well-made religious satire, whereas Holy Grail is just utterly absurd. Bits of the Monty Python absurdity are present in Life of Brian, but not nearly in the abundance I was hoping for.

Still, some stuff is just as absurd and hilarious as their greatest bits. The ending in particular is iconic and classic. Nobody else could have pulled off filming a group full of crucified Jews singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" quite as immaculately as these guys. The stoning scene and the Biggus Dickus scene are also memorable, classic, and utterly hilarious.

Despite these (and other) genius scenes, the majority of the laughs come at the expense of a smart message and a biting satire on religion. Which isn't bad, far from it... It's just not what I would have preferred in a Python flick.