Life of Brian (1979)

Hilarious Social Satire
Nothing is sacred to the Monty Python gang. Proving this point is the hilariously irreverent Life of Brian, about a hapless Judean born on Christmas in the stall next to Jesus. He joins the People's Front of Judea, who hate the Romans (but not quite as much as they hate the splitters in the Judean People's Front!), and tries to fend off the multitudes who insist he's the messiah.

Life of Brian is an extremely funny and quotable satire. It's not so much a parody of Christianity or the Jesus story, though, as a satire poking fun at the universally human tendency to join religious or social movements and miss the point entirely. It's funny precisely because it's so true. In one scene, as Brian flees his zealous followers, he leaves behind a shoe, which becomes the center of a heated argument over whether to revere the shoe or the gourd Brian got rid of earlier. Later in the movie, Brian addresses the multitudes:

Brian: Please, please, please listen! I've got one or two things to say.
The Crowd: Tell us! Tell us both of them!
Brian: Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't NEED to follow ME, You don't NEED to follow ANYBODY! You've got to think for your selves! You're ALL individuals!
The Crowd: Yes! We're all individuals!
Brian: You're all different!
The Crowd: Yes, we ARE all different!

The People's Front of Judea couldn't be a more appropriate parody of the sillier aspects of radical movements, including the factions of the modern-day Middle East. The time they spend squabbling amongst themselves and drafting resolutions, rather than fighting the real enemy, quite comically hits the nail on the head.

This is a great movie for anyone who loves British comedy, particularly the random zaniness that is trademark Monty Python.

it is funny-that's all
i don't think monty python wanted to "Offend" anyone.they just wanted to make some jokes. i think they made it "R" for a reason. if young people saw that then it might be worse than it is today, but i say it is funny. i am catholic and i don't find this offensive because i know its a joke

I have a confession to make.
Excellent movie made even better by Criterion. It is so damn funny that I have to pause the movie so my laughs can catch up.

Now for the confession. I really identify with 'Blessed are the cheesemakers' skit because all through my childhood and adolescence I couldn't figure out the importance of an archaeological find in the middle east being, in my mind, "The Dead Sea Squirrels". It wasn't till I was in my early 20's when a Catholic co-worker looked horrified at me when I spoke of it and then set me straight. The Dead Sea Scrolls.