Life of Brian (1979)

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It's been called blasphemous, a travesty, an attack on Jesus Christ and one of the funniest movies ever made. When nobody else wanted to touch it, George Harrison of the Beatles agreed to finance it simply because after reading the script he wanted to see the movie. What we got was a parody of sorts of a man, born about the same time as Jesus Christ, who also amasses a following and winds up crucified at the end. The difference is of course nobody remembers Brian of Nazareth but now his story can be told.The movie is full of hilarious characters, misunderstood comments and the very surreal and zany humor that the Pythons were known for. I will say that this isn't a movie for everybody. I know of several deeply religious people who get offended by this movie and that's their opinion. But if that isn't you and Monty Python is your kind of thing then you really ought to see this. There's really no reason to miss it.

It's been decades since the last's viewing of The Life of Brian, and it is just as funny today. Is also interesting to think that this may be more socially relevant today than I was in 1979!

It's funny and dare I say serendipitous that the impetus behind Life of Brian stemmed from a throwaway remark made by Eric Idle. After the success of the Python's last movie which at the time was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he had been asked what their next feature would be with which he flippantly responded with Jesus Christ - Lust for Glory. Who would have thought that such an offhand quip would eventually lead to their most celebrated and critically praised works being brought to the cinema theaters. At least those which were brave enough to screen it given the immediate controversy that was to follow. Shrewdly however they chose not to actually focus on lampooning Jesus himself, as they felt there was nothing funny about his life and subsequent death. Any attempts at humour at his expense would have seemed shallow and taking mere potshots. However they set their sights on organized religion which the team had a combined mistrust of. There may not have been anything satirical about the Messiah but his followers, that was another matter. It's no exaggeration that the film is nothing short of a work of genius with it's astute observations of the possible fanaticism, herd mentality and it's abuse for political advantage is adeptly shrouded with their trademark off the wall humour. Satire has arguably never been so much fun. Forgoing having Jesus himself as the film's lead protagonist and replacing himself with an everyday young Jewish man, who due to a series of absurd events finds himself mistaken for being the true "Messiah". In a superb post-opening credits sequence we even see Brian's shrill battleaxe of a mother having already given birth to her son, being mistakenly visited by the Three Wise Men as the stable they're inhabiting is right next to the one Jesus was born in. It's a sublime comedic twist on the Christian tale that implies that Brian is always fated to be mistaken for the genuine article. What follows is a what could be referred to as a series of set pieces that could even be described as individual sketches wrapped around it's simple but engaging narrative. It's arguably why; The Meaning of Life which came four years later was less of a success critically and commercially as it opted for the similar sketch format of the Monty Python TV series, making it less accessible to the general public. Only dedicated fans would have likely appreciated the more traditional format. But narrative and it's surreal comedy aside, what marks it out in it's brilliance is how universal it's themes still are to this very day. Taking sharp digs at revolutionary groups and British left wing politics the movies PFJ (People's Front of Judea) closely resembling trade unions and the ironic and ridiculous rivalry that has existed between rebel factions. It could possibly also be seen as a veiled lampooning of sectarian bigotry and narcissism which not only exists in Christianity but Islam as well. None more so is this typified in a inspired moment where a select number of the PFJ set out to kidnap Pontious Pilates wife, only to cross paths with rivals from the Campaign for a Free Galilee which results in them foolishly fighting among themselves. On a more personal level in terms of our antipathetic hero there is an air of poignancy to his predicament that adds a layer of melancholy, as despite some genuine idealism on his part (compacted by the shock revelation on discovering his father was Roman) is that what primarily leads him to join in on the rebellion is his love for Judith, a young member of the PFJ who's enthusiasm and passion outweighs even Brian's. The sympathy we feel for him and his desire for him are equally palpable as we know that when all is said and done, is that what he'd want is just a quiet life with her. To top off what makes the film such a unforgettable classic is the reliably brilliant and versatile multiple performances of it's main actors. Replicating what made part of the format of Holy Grail uniquely inspired, they each play to their own individual strengths as they portray a host of eccentric characters, many of whom lead to Brian being habitually exasperated. The supporting cast which includes obscure Welsh actress Sue-Jones Davies as Judith, and features brief appearances by Python regular Carol Cleaveland and veteran TV actress Gwen Taylor are also uniformly excellent. And look out for a blink and you'll miss it cameo from British comedy legend Spike Milligan as an elderly prophet. To summarize Life of Brian, it's not only admirable for it's creative cleverness and insightful wisdom but given it's modest budget of $4 million (the backing of which came from former Beetle, George Harrison who went on to establish his own production company; Handmade Films) it's a testament to what can be achieved on minimal funding. The fact that it has been awarded the status of being the "greatest comedy of all time" by The BFI, (British Film Institute) and declared it to be the 28th best British film of all time which really is quite something. It's influence is unmistakable and it's overall message timeless and will never be forgotten.

For me, first half of the movie is a 10 star comedy. However, second half of the movie was so cringy that i had a really hard time finishing the movie.small spoilers here:The storyline is a bit misleading though, Brian being mistaken for Mesiah as an adult has no relation with being born in the next-door of the original one. Personally, i thought it did and that got me watching the film in the first place.