"Holy Grail" had an episodic structure and a more-or-less coherent plot but that hardly mattered because the film was one of the funniest of all time. "Life of Brian", while not reaching the same heights of hilarity, was still an improvement, because it was funny, told a story, made some subversively intelligent statements about religion and concluded with the troop's signature song. I titled my "Life of Brian" review: the Prime of Monty Python.
Now, a third Monty Python's movie is an offer one can't refuse but there's no escape from the uncomfortable feeling that this well-meaning movie doesn't play in the same league than its glorious predecessors. Some parts do, some scenes are nothing short of masterpieces but others are so painfully not-so-funny that you spend more time wondering the meaning of their presence than life's. And because "The Meaning of Life" is a series of totally disjointed sketches, don't let yourself be fooled by the title, when they had enough material to make a film, the group was looking the least loose way to connect the sketches, with a lot of stuff about sexuality, death and birth, Life with a major L came all naturally.
And it was a great idea because nothing is as meaningless as life when you think about it... or when you hear the magnificent "universe" song (one of the film's highlights). Therefore, we know we're not looking for answers but multiple showcases of life's incongruity and how they inspire the most absurd situations. After all, what's a sketch about a gigantic client who vomits every ten seconds has to do with the meaning of anything? Much aware of this linguistic stretch, the group provides a funny Greek Chorus made of fishes in a restaurant's tank, wondering where all the nonsense is getting to. But this is Monty Python we're talking about, so as long as it was funny, who cares if their advertising is misleading? Didn't Mel Brooks title his film "History of the World Part I" without providing any sequel?
In the name of comedy, anything is possible, as long as it is funny. The problem of "The Meaning of Life" is that it suffers from its very structure: by making it into a series of disconnected sketches, some were likely to pale in comparison with the others. All comedies have their slower moments, but we know they are just the obligatory low spots before the high ones, but in the case of this anthology, a low spot and a sketch usually make one. "The Birth" is funny, "The Third World" part is the perfect moment, but how about the restaurant with the conversation about philosophers? How about that bit with the tiger? In fact, how about that Crimson Insurance Company feature that introduces the film?
The opening short was a perfect satire against the bureaucratic capitalistic world, and the sight of old guys making a pirates' ship out of their company's building is an omen of Terry Gilliam's surrealistic extravaganza, but while we're enthralled by the action and the satire, and before the film gets to its hilarious conclusion, it's fifteen minutes of our lives spent trying to determine what is supposed to be funny. At that track, this is not even an intro, this is 'filler' material. And while I'm too much a Python fan to push the 'skip' part, I just do something else waiting for the film to begin. And the Crimson syndrome affects many other parts that started great but went past their punchline or didn't even try to have one.
Fillers, that's it, the film was full of them. The war bit starting in the trenches was a brilliant moment, Graham Chapman's speech about democracy and its flashy conclusion perfect, and the part about a leg bite mildly funny, but had it concluded with Eric Idle soldier saying that he's given a medal for things that earn you hanging back home, while not funny, could've been a perfect way to end the 'fighting'... but the tiger scene was just not funny, even by surrealistic standards. The restaurant scene after the explosion never called for an aftermath, and the ending with the Heaven Lounge didn't show something new from the Middle Age part. There must be a total of needless twenty minutes in the film. But this is Monty Python and even the less funny bits age better than Sandler's comedies and they're enjoyable for the sake of seeing Graham Chapman and the group still making fools of themselves.
They were past their prime, but what a prime! They still had it enough to provide three magnificent songs, the intro, the "universe" song, all full of scientific details showing us the pointlessness of the individual and of course "Every Sperm is Sacred", one of the most subversive and brilliant songs ever. I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for an Oscar (it was BAFTA nominated), the song has the feel of a Disney or old-school Hollywood musical and it's so well done we don't react to the lyrics, we just enjoy it. This is the proof that the group could still make fun of religion with the kind of bad taste that rose above vulgarity. It's funny because in its own twisted way, it's true, that's how religion perceives our precious seminal fluids after all.
This was the film that made it discover "Monty Python", my Dad couldn't believe I never heard of them. So, I took the VHS and the group won me with the "Every Sperm is Sacred" part and whenever I see it, I feel some genuine nostalgia. As raunchy and naughty as it is, there's some sweetness in the song that shows that Monty Python might have been vulgar but never mean-spirited... except for the liver's donor part... for the death... the birth with the machine that goes "Ping"... well forget what I said!
