Fresh and Exciting

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The Python Team had gotten a bit lazy by this point. The drive and ambition wasn't as strong as in their previous films, and Terry Gilliam admitted the script needed another draft to unify it better. As a result this is a retrograde step, harking back to the legendary t.v. show but also suffering from the occasional same duff sketch or two that the show often did.Saying that, when this movie is on the money it's brilliant. Birth, Fighting Each Other, Death (But I didn't eat the salmon mousse!) are Python classics, and Terry Jones and John Cleese share honours in the legendary 'Mr Creosote' sketch. No one can accuse the film of being subtle that's for sure, in the actual sketches; but the subject matter, the meaning of life itself, is handled extremely cleverly.The musical numbers in this one are magnificent, from Every Sperm is Sacred to the Galaxy Song, It's Christmas in Heaven and that er, other Eric Idle number. Just utterly wonderful.It's just a shame that Python largely ended here. They had more to give us on this evidence.

Movie is basically a bunch of short sketches that purport to show the meaning of life (They don't). It opens with a laugh less and stupid 20 minute short about an insurance company being run by pirates. From then on it doesn't change much. About 90% of the sketches have no laughs in them at all and are just pointless. There are some bright spots--The "Every Sperm is Sacred" song and dance is cute; John Cleese teaching his students about sex with his wife is funny; the Zulu war bit was amusing; the liver organ donor sketch was VERY bloody but funny and a visit from Death at the end was clever. However there's a sketch about an incredibly obese man visiting a restaurant and constantly vomiting over everybody and everything. It's not funny...just sick. Also that comes towards leaving a bad taste (sorry) for the film as a whole. Python fans might want to take a look but you can safely stay away from this one.

In some ways MONTY PYHTON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE has dated badly since its original release in 1983. Many of its attitudes, especially towards sex and gender, are needlessly sexist, reminiscent of the days when Benny Hill dominated British television screens with his plethora of half-clad ladies. One could argue that the Pythons are making fun of such attitudes, but when one sketch includes a scene of a male fugitive (Michael Palin) being pursued by a bevy of topless totties, we do begin to wonder about the film's stance.Structurally speaking THE MEANING OF LIFE is a mess, a ragbag collection of sketches stitched together under an umbrella title, rather like one of the Pythons' television shows. There is even less plot-line than LIFE OF BRIAN or MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL; what we soon realize is that the film is not going to explore the meaning of life, but rather provide a showcase for the Pythons' idiosyncratic brand of humor. Some of the sketches are just plain puerile, reflecting the writers' experiences of the British public school (read private in the US) system. As an educator, John Cleese makes love to his wife in front of a class of bored male learners; once the joke has been established, the sketch soon wears thin. The staff take on the learners at rugby and use the occasion as an excuse to beat the learners up: we are left thinking "so what?"On the other hand the Pythons manage to land some telling satirical blows. They satirize a Health Service more concerned with impressing administrators than looking after patients; and deflate the often archaic brand of muscular Christianity that prevails at many of Britain's educational institutions. The scene involving Mr. Creosote (Terry Jones) is strong meat for anyone, but reminds us of how our penchant for rich food often leads us to over-eat. In a culture apparently dedicated to the celebrity chef, the thrust of this sketch is more pertinent now than it was over three decades ago.For Python addicts there are familiar milestones such as Eric Idle- themed songs, directly aimed to replicate the success of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" in LIFE OF BRIAN. Terry Gilliam's animations continue to fascinate for their sheer surrealistic inventiveness, while it is fun to see the late lamented Graham Chapman in a variety of roles. All in all there is something in this film for everyone -- provided you look hard enough.

Delightful as well as hilarious film but plenty with profanities , nudism , sex , grossing humor and obscenity . This film being the last Monty Python explores the meaning and aim of life in a lot of sketches from conception , boyhood , adult world , war , to death when the group suffered from food poisoning , then Grim Reaper brings for the final stage of human life and beyond .Irreverent and often sidesplitting satire of religion , Catholicism , Protestantism , traditional family , God and many other things . Monty Phyton performs a series of sketches about the life cycle from birth , existence to death in this often uproariously funny , sometimes tedious , movie . According to Michael Palin , the picture ranges from philosophy to history to medicine to halibut . Here the comedy team takes a look at life in all its stages in their own uniquely silly way , as they satirize and humorize almost everyone . ¨The meaning of life¨ , originally called "Monty Python's Fish Film" will probably offend some catholics , including many political and social comments . As it has a mercilessly critique to Roman Catholic in a sketch when a couple has quite a lot of children because 'every sperm is sacred' (the kids who sang the song later said they had no idea what they were singing about) ; being unknown to the rest of the team until later, director Terry Jones spent most of the budget for the film on the dancing and singing sequences . The bizarre "Find The Fish" sketch was filmed in the main control hall of Battersea Power Station, London . It was supposed to represent the weird dreams that we all experience from time to time , Terry Gilliam later expressed his regret that this aspect wasn't given a little more explanation . The best part of the film results to be the beginning with a stand-alone 17-minute supporting feature entitled The Crimson Permanent Assurance stunningly directed by Terry Gilliam ; it was filmed as if it were a completely separate project , Gilliam got his own sound-stage, crew and cast . This segment continued to expand because, according to Gilliam, nobody told him to stop . Furthermore , special mention to the death sketch, where Arthur Jarrett , Graham Chapman , has chosen to die while pursued by naked girls . Six cast members played a lot of characters such as Graham Chapman , John Cleese , Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle , Terry Jones and Michael Palin . The talented cast also conceived and wrote all of the material . The characters they are seen playing last are as following: Graham Chapman as Tony Bennett, John Cleese as Death, Terry Gilliam as Howard Katzenberg, Eric Idle as Angela, Terry Jones as Mrs. Brown and Michael Palin as the Lady presenter . The last shot featuring all the Pythons together is when Death shows the six dead people 'Paradise' . You don't have to be British to enjoy the various political asides and lampoons . Lively Original Music by John Du Prez , including jolly final song sung by Eric Idle . Colorful as well as evocative Cinematography by Peter Hannan and Roger Pratt in segment "The Crimson Permanent Assurance". The motion picture was well directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam in animation and special sequence ; it won the Special Jury Grand prize at the Cannes film festival . While writing this film, the Python troupe decided to take a break and put on some shows at the famous Hollywood Bowl, which were filmed and released as Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) . In 1965, filmmaker Terry Jones with his friend Michael Palin, made The Late Show (1966) for television, which was his first success and he wrote for many other TV shows . But Jones' greatest success was the zany Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74) (with Palin, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle) and other hits such as Jabberwocky , The meaning of life , Monty Python and the Holy Grail and ¨Life of Brian¨ , this is the tale of of a man whose life parallels Jesus ; it results to be the most sustained and funniest film from Britain's bad boys that may prove offensive to some and a sheer delight to others .