Laughter Never Dies

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2016)

Up to this point, I've only seen Indy go after the Grail. Yep, took more than four decades for me to finally see Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Now, there's a good reason. Absolutely Fabulous, Hugh Grant and Simon Pegg & Gang aside, I've never been an English comedy fan. In fact, I've always hated the Monty Python gang's brand of humour. I've seen some clips, I think I might have seen part of Life of Brian and watched a bit of their show. Never liked it.
Well, mercifully, I finally opened my eyes when a great friend of mine recommended it after he showed this to his kids at one of his fantastic movie marathons he hosts for them. I agreed and made the effort.
I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud. Over and over, from the opening credits to near the end, I was bursting out and in almost tears from laughing. Of course, I was dead wrong on my original opinion of both British humour and Monty Python. Previously, I did keep telling myself "Yeah, I get the humour, but it's just not funny." Wrong again.
The running gags, breaking the fourth wall (especially to stop a musical number) and the rips against medieval films and clichés: ALL freaking hilarious. Even when I remember certain clips from a long time ago, like the dismembered knight and the raging rabbit, I still laughed tremendously.
Now, that all said, with the exception of the heart attack scene, I wasn't a fan of the cartoon segments. Perhaps that's lifted from the series, I don't recall. I'm sure die-hard fans liked that, but I wasn't pleased. And not all jokes or running gags worked or kept fresh after a whilebut that percentage was probably only 5%. Thankfully, those gripes were minor and really didn't take away from the great time I had.
What can be summarized that hasn't been said about this 41-year-old comedy? It's a rip off the knights' quest for the Holy Grail. Misadventures galore as "knights" break off to find the Grail.
Don't be me. If you haven't seen this and didn't care or understand British humour, take a chance and join the journey. You really can't go wrong here.
***
Final thoughts: (Joke Spoilers Ahead) Gonna need to see this a few more times now. I know I'm totally late to the game, so I can't possibly match how many times others have seen it, but I do want to revisit this for some of the jokes that are still making me laugh. Like the policemen, the guards, the anti-singing dad, the mostly dead gags, witch arrest, the bird's strength, and the French threats: "No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!"