"Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers?"

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2011)

I was flipping through DVDs for something to watch, and suddenly found myself humming "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" – so the decision was already made for me. 'Life of Brian (1979)' was the second of three original feature films by the Monty Python troupe (not counting 'And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)', which was a compilation of sketches from the TV show remade for theatrical consumption). The other two films – 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)' and 'The Meaning of Life (1983)' – I'd watched back in 2006/2007, and found them not lacking in wry British humour, though I hardly considered them masterpieces of the highest order.
I feel about the same about 'Life of Brian.' On the plus side, it really digs its heels into religion, with the crowds of Brian-worshipping disciples chasing the hapless hero (played by Graham Chapman) through the streets, interpreting his lost sandal as a divine gesture, and celebrating the presence of juniper berries as a miracle. The film is certainly less off-the-wall than 'Holy Grail,' with an abridged role for Terry Gilliam's distinctive animation, and fewer self-referential flourishes – except for a bizarre Deus Ex Machina involving an alien spaceship that breaks Brian's tumble from a tall building. The two songs are fantastic, of course: the first a Bond-like ballad belted out with the bravado of Shirley Bassey, and the second a droll, cheery closer about the joys of accepting crucifixion.