--- title: "Life of Brian" year: 1979 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/life-of-brian" fi1m_score: 88 critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 11 published: "2026-09-16T11:03:23.768641+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T11:03:40.534033+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Life of Brian (1979) Directed by Terry Jones · 1h 34m · MPA R · Comedy **Fi1m score: 88** · Critics 85 from 11 reviews *In a sentence:* The Latin must be correct; the rest of civilisation can wait > Terry Jones makes *Life of Brian* a sharp, generous comedy about people who cannot leave one another alone. Graham Chapman makes Brian worth caring about, though the chase begins to repeat itself. ## Synopsis Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) tries to get on with his life amid religious fervour and political squabbling. Mandy Cohen (Terry Jones) and Reg (John Cleese) are among the people he has to contend with in the biblical society where Jesus (Kenneth Colley) also lives. A public stoning brings people together over an act of punishment, while an argument about Latin grammar makes correct wording a matter of authority. Brian faces people with firm views about correct belief and correct behaviour, and little patience for anyone who questions them. ## Review Terry Jones understands that people can behave appallingly without becoming dull company. *Life of Brian* is an excellent comedy about the urge to tell other people what to believe, and the pleasure of having somebody to correct. Its religious and political quarrels are funny because the speakers care so much about distinctions that look so small from outside. The chase wears a little thin, but we recommend it for the precision of those arguments and the trouble Graham Chapman takes over Brian Cohen. Graham Chapman gives Brian an impatience that feels earned. Surrounded by people with unshakeable convictions, he makes the effort of answering them look exhausting, and he never seems to be waiting politely for his next joke. John Cleese’s Reg and Terry Jones’s Mandy Cohen bring different varieties of certainty, each performed with an assurance that leaves little space for an objection. We remain interested in Brian even when the film seems more interested in arranging his next difficulty. The Latin grammar argument is a particularly good example of how the comedy works. We laughed, then recognised an uncomfortable amount of ourselves in the pleasure of correcting someone. Getting the wording right becomes absurdly important, and the scene needs no explanatory speech. The stoning sequence is nastier, and its humour made us uneasy. Here, the performers’ commitment to treating punishment as ordinary business makes the laughter feel horribly easy. Peter Biziou’s cinematography gives the biblical setting a seriousness that makes its petty disputes funnier. The stoning benefits from looking like a credible public event, however absurd the behaviour within it becomes. Terry Gilliam’s production design provides that same useful solidity, so that these quarrels seem to occupy a functioning society. Geoffrey Burgon’s music also understands the value of solemnity here: it gives the nonsense the sort of accompaniment its participants feel they deserve. Julian Doyle’s editing gives the individual arguments time to become maddening, and mostly knows when to leave them. Connecting those encounters is harder. The sustained chase becomes repetitive, and the succession of fresh obstacles occasionally makes Brian seem to exist chiefly so that another sketch can happen to him. At 94 minutes the film is hardly overlong, but there are stretches where the return to pursuit feels like an instruction to keep moving because the writers have not found a better reason. As a parody of biblical spectacle, it is unusually interested in the people who would normally be standing somewhere behind the important figures. That shift in attention makes solemn material funny without requiring every character to be an idiot. The most effective satire concerns the sheer confidence with which people speak for others. Graham Chapman makes Brian’s frustration persuasive enough that we continue to care about his wishes through all the competing demands. Go in prepared for some repetition and for jokes whose pleasure depends on watching people persist long after a reasonable person would stop. If that sounds too much like an ordinary afternoon, there is compensation in seeing the behaviour so accurately understood. Watch it with someone who can resist reciting the next line. *Fi1m score 88, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The consensus on Life of Brian is firmly positive: all eleven reviews praise its comedy, with particular agreement on the troupe’s performances, the variety of the gags and the satire of dogma and human foolishness. Most critics find its irreverence good-natured, even when its targets are religious mania, false piety or political squabbling. Praise also extends to the production values and comic structure, while Eye for Film singles out Graham Chapman’s lead performance and stronger characterisation as reasons the story works beyond its individual jokes. The differences concern emphasis as much as quality: some critics stress the attack on religious behaviour, while others see a cheerful parody of Biblical films. The responses range from enthusiastic to warmly qualified, with no outright dissent. The New Yorker finds the sustained chase stretched compared with the troupe’s sketch work, while /Film notes flaws and elements that have aged awkwardly. ### Reviews we read (11) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (5/5): The messianic satire remains as irreverent and topical as ever, with its quotable intelligence and humor still sharply relevant decades later. Religious mania and petty dogma are singled out as targets that have lost none of their bite. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/monty-pythons-life-of-brian) - **Empire** (90/100, inferred): The critic hails it as a stylistically eclectic comic masterpiece, praising the variety, quality, and structure of its gags along with its sharp comedy swearing. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/monty-python-life-brian-review/) - **Sight and Sound**, Clyde Jeavons (90/100, inferred): The Pythons deliver brilliant gags and robust production values in their satirical riff on the life of Christ and religious faith. The climactic scenes stand out as among the most memorable and tasteless ever devised by the troupe. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/fb7c3b1c-0fbf-5377-84f1-455e98df7966/monty-pythons-life-of-brian) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it the Pythons’ masterpiece and an amazing achievement, a consistent and ambitious film that stands up decades later as a satire of the life of Jesus and a hymn to tolerance. He singles out its spectacular ending with the crucifixion scene and the jaunty song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life for praise, along with classic set pieces like the stoning scene and the Latin grammar argument. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/12/monty-pythons-life-of-brian-review) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (85/100, inferred): The review hails the film as a deliriously offensive and best-humored Biblical epic that sends up false piety and classic religious films with nonstop comic energy. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/17/archives/film-monty-pythons-life-of-briangospel-of-lunacy.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film cheerfully inoffensive and more about movies than religion, praising its irreverence and the Python troupe's good cheer in sending up Biblical epics. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/life-of-brian-1979) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Robert Osborne (70/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a wacky, good-natured satire with a whimsical and friendly air rather than a sacrilegious one. The ensemble cast's outrageous fun in multiple roles and the troupe's skill at highlighting human failings through humor are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/life-brian-review-1979-movie-1030493/) - **The New Yorker**, Veronica Geng (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the troupe's comic performances and irreverent Biblical parody but finds the sustained chase structure somewhat oversustained compared to their sketch work. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1979/08/27/premises) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (4.5/5): The critic praises the film's stronger characterisation and Graham Chapman's lead performance, which allow it to move beyond satire into a story with its own power and sharp points about religion. The review highlights the film's enormous humour alongside its bravely downbeat ending. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/life-of-brian-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **Den of Geek**, Mark Harrison (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Life of Brian a quintessential Easter comedy that holds up exceptionally well on its 40th anniversary re-release. They single out its sharp political satire and the iconic closing song for particular praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/monty-pythons-life-of-brian-at-40/) - **/Film** (80/100, inferred): In a ranking of Monty Python films, Life of Brian is placed second and described as the troupe's most controversial work that still feels daring, with a perfect ironic ending that encapsulates human existence, though it notes some flaws and awkward aging. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1380040/monty-python-movies-ranked/) ## Details - **Director:** Terry Jones - **Director:** Terry Jones - **Screenplay:** Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin - **Cinematography:** Peter Biziou - **Editor:** Julian Doyle - **Music:** Geoffrey Burgon - **Production design:** Terry Gilliam - **Costume design:** Charles Knode, Hazel Pethig - **Producer:** John Goldstone - **Cast:** Graham Chapman as Wise Man #2 / Brian Cohen / Biggus Dickus; John Cleese as Wise Man #1 / Reg / Jewish Official / First Centurion / Deadly Dirk / Arthur; Terry Gilliam as Man Even Further Forward / Revolutionary / Jailer / Blood and Thunder Prophet / Frank / Audience Member / Crucifee; Eric Idle as Mr. Cheeky / Stan 'Loretta' / Harry the Haggler / Culprit Woman / Warris / Intensely Dull Youth / Jailer's Assistant / Otto / Lead Singer Crucifee; Terry Jones as Mandy Cohen / Colin / Simon the Holy Man / Bob Hoskins / Saintly Passer-by / Alarmed Crucifixion Assistant; Michael Palin as Wise Man #3 / Mr. Big Nose / Francis / Mrs. A / Ex-Leper / Announcer / Ben / Pontius Pilate / Boring Prophet / Eddie / Shoe Follower / Nisus Wettus; Terence Bayler as Gregory; Carol Cleveland as Mrs. Gregory - **Runtime:** 1h 34m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 17 August 1979 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Budget:** $4 million - **Box office:** $21 million ## Where to watch in the US - Peacock: streaming, hd - Peacock: free, hd - The Roku Channel: free, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $13.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, GB, HK, HU, ID, IL, IT, JP, MY, NL, NZ, PH, PT, TH, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Duck Soup* (1933), Fi1m 88: A republic’s rulers bring the same childish certainty to affairs of state. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/duck-soup.md) - *The Firemen's Ball* (1967): A public celebration lets petty authority and collective stupidity organise their own humiliation. - *The Milky Way* (1969): Religious certainty keeps meeting awkward questions in a wandering, stubbornly irreverent comedy. - *Being There* (1979), Fi1m 84: People hear wisdom wherever they need it, regardless of what anyone actually says. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/being-there.md) - *Four Lions* (2010), Fi1m 84: Fanaticism meets ordinary incompetence, with enough human sympathy to make the laughter uncomfortable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/four-lions.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/life-of-brian