Ever since the day he was born, Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) has found himself being mistaken for the Messiah. He was born on the original Christmas, and in the stable right next door to Jesus. Resenting the continued Roman occupation of Judea, Brian joins a political resistance movement. While the movement isn’t effective, he manages to become a sort of prophet and gathers a following, much to his chagrin. And through a series of misadventures, Brian’s life reaches the same conclusion as his famous counterpart.
He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy!
It happened to be Easter weekend when I decided to check off another one of my Blind Spot movie choices, and in taking note of the upcoming holiday, I thought there was no better time to finally watch Life of Brian. On the surface, the Biblical satire could be seen as blasphemous as it parallels the life of Jesus through an average Jewish man, but the film takes a clever look at mob mentalities and religious attitudes as opposed to religion itself. Even in some of the film’s zaniest moments, the humor in Life of Brian still resonates given some of the more extreme opinions in society today, while also ending on an optimistic note that encourages to “always look on the bright side of life.”
Having thoroughly enjoyed their Arthurian-set comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail over the years, I figured it was time to finally branch out and watch another one of the British comedy group’s films. Made just a few short years after, Life of Brian is just as hilarious as its beloved predecessor, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments spread throughout. This is only my second foray into the Monty Python humor as far as their films are concerned, and after watching this religious satire, I look forward to discovering more from the troupe.
Life of Brian (1979)
Directed by: Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
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I like this one, but I really, REALLY like ‘Holy Grail’…I could watch that one again and again and never tire of it. But if I may make a suggestion: skip MP’s next outing, ‘The Meaning of Life’, and watch their TV series instead. I thought ‘Life’ was horrible, and nowhere near as funny or smart as ‘Grail’ or ‘Brian’.
The Holy Grail is the best, it never gets old! And thanks for the tip, I was looking into The Meaning of Life and wasn’t as keen on checking it out as I was with Life of Brian. I vaguely remember seeing clips from their TV series years ago and enjoying it, I’ll have to revisit it.