MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE
(1983)With Monty Python (John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam)
Directed by Terry Jones
Reviewed by JB
Little more than an excuse to string together many wild, surrealistic
comedy sketches, THE MEANING OF LIFE is nevertheless Monty Python's
most rewarding feature film. Separated into sections such as
Birth, Sex, Fighting Each Other and Death, the film presents several of
the comedy troupe's most memorably outrageous sketches. In
one,
John Cleese teaches sex education by actually having sex with his wife
in front of a classroom of bored students who would much rather be out
playing soccer. In another, an entrire town performs a
beautiful
production number entitled "Every Sperm is Sacred", which includes the
classic verse "Every sperm is sacred / Every sperm is great /
if
a sperm is wasted / God gets quite irate."
In perhaps the most visually memorable sketch
of the film, waiter John Cleese keeps feeding grossly overweight
restaurant patron Mr. Creosote, who is prone to projectile vomiting,
until the inevitable explosion. There are also sketches on
miracle of birth (featuring The Machine That Goes 'Ping!', which no
hospital should be without), Live Organ Doning, Christmas in Heaven and
a Monty Python prayer that begins "Oh, God, You are so big.
Gosh,
we are all really impressed....".
As can be gleaned from the
above description,
there is plenty in this film that can offend and even gross out
audiences, and even today, parts of it are difficult to sit through
(Live Organ Doning!). However, the distinctly surrealistic
point
of view and and slavish devotion to intelligent, witty dialogue
separates it from modern day grossout comedies. Some sketches
go
on too long, and like other Python films, this one runs out of steam
before it is over. Much as Laurel and Hardy did their best
work
in two-reelers, Monty Python did theirs in half-hour television
shows. But as the last real major collaborative effort by the
original Python gang, THE MEANING OF LIFE stands as one of their major
contributions to comedy. 
- JB
ADD ANOTHER
QUOTE AND MAKE IT A
GALLON
"Finally, monsieur,
a weffer-thin
mint."
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Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee