Intelligence wrapped up in hilarious absurdity

Rating: 9/10 (1 October 2006)

Good satires are hard to come by and between Natural Born Killers (1993) and the recent Thank You For Smoking (2006), not many come to mind  except the masterful Python achievement "Life of Brian" which sets an example for all satires to come. It is clear that Terry Jones has done something very cool and insightful here; he has created a world of subtle and not-so-subtle spoofs which locks you into and absorbs you in its fantastic humour. Even if you are not a Monty Python cultist you must recognize that every joke in the film is a well-articulated kick up the arse to some issue.
The plot outline is of the three wise men come bearing gifts to the newborn Brian thinking he is Jesus. When they realize their mistake they move onto the next stable where the right infant lies in his crib. This mix-up is the start of Brian's life, who will from now on live in the shadow of Jesus. Right, now forget all about this plot because nearly all scenes sidetrack from the key template  instead the story tips over into hilarious diversions and detours in Jerusalem. Even the opening credits do not seem to serve any purpose to the story it tells; it is a spoof of the James Bond openings with surrealistic montages and a sensual singer wailing. This is just how amazingly random Life of Brian is.
Yet it needs to be said that "Life of Brian" lacks some of the absurdity and randomness of the previous Python installment, The Holy Grail (1975). The gags and spoofs here are generally much smarter and more satirical. Whether you find this funnier or not is a matter of choice, but I think it works slightly better  furthermore, this film has held up better over the years for me. The intelligence behind the parodies is bafflingly spot-on when you scratch the 'funny' surface. It is impossible to do the gags justice in writing, but one of my favourite moments in the film is at the stoning of a 'blasphemer' who keeps saying "Jehovah". At the mention of the word, the crowd gasp in outrage and Matthias angrily tells the man: "You're only making it worse for yourself!" to which the blasphemer, about to be stoned, replies: "Worse? How could it be worse!?" Brilliant. It is chock-full of these gems, all commenting on the paranoia of the masses.
Many Christian fundamentalists have complained that "Life of Brian" is too anti-religion, which is idiotic. It presupposes that there were three wisemen, miracles and Jesus which is pro-Christian enough, so stop whining you morons. This is satirical masterpiece with more humour in it than most films I've seen and firmly stapled a the bottom of my top 20 films list.
9 out of 10