The Meaning of Life

Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones
Directed by: Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Musical
1983

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Monty Python troop explores everything you need to know about the meaning of life.

Review:

Tim: I know that British humor is quite a bit different from American humor. That being said, I know there were some jokes in this film that I didn't get. However, that doesn't mean this couldn't have been an enjoyable movie. I loved Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about The Meaning of Life. While there are some very, very funny moments throughout the film, I felt like it was missing some of those instantly recognizable, hilarious moments. I definitely laughed here, but not nearly enough.

There is something inherently entertaining about the Monty Python clan throwing together so many absurd, funny, unique scenes together into one film, and have it all make some sense. Here, we are focused on the meaning of life, but this is just a loose affiliation to hold the movie together. We have a wide array of different scenes, from a hospital delivery room, to a British battlefield, the far reaches of space, corporate America, and so much more. This movie really makes your head spin with the different locations and characters.

The actors here each play anywhere between 7 and 17 different parts throughout the movie. It is fun to watch recognizable faces inhabiting a huge amount of different characters. I've always thought John Cleese was the funniest of the entire troupe, and I continue to believe that after this movie. The rest of the cast is quite good as well, though.

Many of my favorite moments in this film were songs. The "Every Sperm is Sacred" song is a classic. I also just loved "The Galaxy Song"- there is something so remarkable about such a catchy tune that also happen to be full of amazingly complex astronomy facts. It perfectly embodies the absurdity of this film. One of the most unforgettable scenes involves the massively fat man in the restaurant, vomiting all over the place. This is one of the most disgusting, horrific, and hilarious scenes I have ever seen. I couldn't take my eyes off it, and I couldn't look.

The Meaning of Life is a collection of some of the silliest, moronic, absurd sketches, all loosely tied together with this idea of the meaning of life. Some scenes are classic and hilarious. Others are not so. When you add all of this up, I think it falls just short. This movie isn't as funny as The Holy Grail. Still, there are definitely hilarious moments throughout this movie. I was disappointed, but just a bit. I admit this movie did make me laugh.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian