Ben Oliver

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film

Life of Brian

He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy! Now, piss off!
02 July 2019

Our whistle-stop journey through comedy history couldn’t skip over Life of Brian, even though it feels like five minutes ago since I was last watching Monty Python.

Although it’s less quotable than Holy Grail, it’s an upgrade on every front. They settled on one director, a real story arc and threw some serious cash behind the whole thing (George Harrison funded it after EMI pulled out at the last minute, having read the script).

Harrison’s cash bought us a biting satire on blind faith that hasn’t lost its edge. The commentary on religion mulched together with Monty Python’s trademark silliness makes for some weapons-grade piss taking.