Monty Python's Life of Brian

A lot of people think Life of Brian is the best movie Monty Python did, some going so far as to call it the best comedy film ever made. I disagree, on the basis of it not being nearly as funny as their other two films. Obviously there's more to movies than laughs, and in some ways, Life of Brian is their most impressive work. It actually tells a story, with a cohesive plot and recurring characters through the whole thing, without many scenes that just feel like disconnected sketches thrown together to tell a few jokes. The cast is still mostly the Python members playing multiple roles each, but there's definitely more people involved than usual, and there's actually a point to the whole thing, as they have several interesting things about faith and the role of the church to say that are actually still relevant thirty years later. But it's just not as funny, and I don't think their admirable stab at making a movie like normal people makes up for that gap.

Brian is played by Graham Chapman, who fits the leading man role fairly well again, and ever since he was born next door to Jesus Christ, he's grown up in his shadow. He's been to a few sermons, though they aren't as effective when you're too far away to properly hear what's actually being said. He lives a usual life for a Jew in Rome, until he is so incensed at learning that his father was actually Roman that he decides to join one of several splinter resistance groups. He spends a fair amount of time rebelling and being chased by guards until it leads him to giving an incidental sermon of his own, which leads to him developing his own following. His story follows a parallel to Jesus' as you might expect right to its natural conclusion, which is fairly easily the best ending to anything the members of Monty Python ever wrote. All of the members get a few moments to shine, and the movie's also notable for some of its more bizarre ways to get Brian from point A to point B and its clever use of comedic nudity. Like I said, it's not as gut-bustingly hilarious as their other work, but it's still a really enjoyable watch, from the tone-setting opening scene to the somehow darkly upbeat finale. It really should be seen by anyone who wonders about religion, provided they can actually see what the movie is trying to say.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Netflix' unlimited free online streaming is really quite nice.

I've seen a couple of the movies and some of the more famous sketches before, but this is the first time I've sat down and really watched the series that is loved by so many and inspired so many others. These 45 episodes are filled with both brilliance and nonsense, a lot of which doesn't hold up too well but most of which does. Everyone knows some bits like the dead parrot and the Spanish inquisition, but there's plenty of less famous stuff that's just as clever. The wordplay, absurd situations, and prototypical mockumentary make for a pretty consistently enjoyable program. They like playing around with expectations, breaking the fourth wall a lot and having the credits play halfway through the episode and stuff like that. They also tend to tie all the sketches together loosely with little bits in between to create a slipshod, strange narrative through an episode, something which I wish more sketch shows did.

Not everything is great though. I believe when people say that Terry Gilliam is a good director even though I haven't seen his movies, but most of his wacky animations in the series are more just odd than really funny. I guess it doesn't take much of a real gag to make the English laugh. Sketch comedy is a bit of a hit-or-miss proposition, and it wasn't terribly rare to be more bored by something than I should have been. The Monty Python films are pretty darn consistent, but that's easy when you don't have to put out half an hour every week. John Cleese easily had the most post-Python success of any member, as an actor at least, and he left the show after the third season, leaving the shortened fourth as a shell of the show's former self. It's not that he's so much funnier than the other members, but his inclusion is essential to the group's success as much as anyone else's, and while there are some decent laughs in the end, it's just not the same show. Sort of a disappointing end for a groundbreaking series, but at least they made those movies to redeem the name.