ark (04/02/83)
Anyone seen it yet?
dyer (04/02/83)
If you're a Monty Python fan, then you'll probably enjoy "The Meaning of Life", despite the fact that its skits often run longer than the jokes support, that its targets (British colonialism, public schools, upper-crust hypocrisy, the Church, etc.) are all too easy to lampoon, and that its obsession with guts and vomit might drive the faint of heart away. This movie is very inferior to "Life of Brian", which I consider a gem. Unlike "Brian", it's a series of skits, much like Woody Allen's "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex", so there isn't a conventional plot to help give the comedy some focus. I enjoyed some of it, but I have to ask whether those scenes were worth sitting through the whole movie--I'm still not sure. There's an outrageous skit about the Roman Catholic Church and birth control which is funny at first, but which has a raw undercurrent of anti-Catholic bigotry. There's a sop to lampoon Protestants as well, but it's so mild in comparison that it underscores the bias. If you weren't attuned to this, you'd probably miss it, but I felt like a black person watching a parody of Black Culture put on by white rednecks: the source of the humor is as important as the humor itself. Steve Dyer
mjl (04/10/83)
Just saw The Meaning Of Life th other day. Personally, I thought it was a cut below their other two major efforts (Holy Grail and Life of Brian), though it did indeed have some very funny moments. This film dwelt a lot more on sex and gore than did the others, to the point where it became tedious. Still, there's probably enough good material to make it worth watching. Take the above opinion with a grain of salt, too. Two friends saw the film with me, and one of them liked it better that either of the first two movies. He thought the restaurant scene was one of the funniest things ever. No accounting for taste... Matt Landau ...!decvax!genradbolton!wjh12!mjl P.S. -- BING !! (* for those of you who've seen the movie. *)
nomi (04/10/83)
I just saw "The Meaning of Life", and it was by far the worst Monty Python movie I've ever seen. Don't see it unless you love watching people barf for several minutes at a time. (Hint: that was about the BEST scene in the movie.) Nomi Harris rabbit!nomi
clif (04/12/83)
I agree with your friend, I thought it was at least as good as "The Life of Brian", and much better than Holy Grail. (Although I must admit that I wasn't particularly hungry after watching the barfing skit.) I say next to "Tootsie" it was the best comedy I've seen in a couple of years. Does anyone know where I can purchase the sound track? Clif Purkiser {ucbvax floyd}!amd70!clif
guest (04/18/83)
References: rabbit.1310 I totally agree! -Sharon Y. Parker, NCSU