Monty Python's: The Meaning of Life - Not classic `Python,' but still better than most of today's offerings

First of all, are you a `Python' fan? If the answer is `no' then you'll probably hate 'Monty Python's: The Meaning of Life.' If, on the other hand, the answer is `yes' then there stands a chance that you'll enjoy it (or MOST of it!).

Casual fans of the Pythons may not have followed their exploits over their TV series and only seen their previous films - 'The Life of Brian' and 'The Holy Grail.' Those two were indeed classics - brilliantly written, with plenty of laughs and a great (if surreal) storyline.

Perhaps that's the reason 'The Meaning of Life' was not as well received. For a start it's not a story. It's basically a sketch show, loosely tied together with the theme of searching for the meaning of life (obvious, huh?). And, with any sketch show, some of them work and some don't.

Even a die hard Python fan such as myself couldn't see the humour in the opening (short) film entitled `The Crimson Permanent Assurance.' I actually skip that opening segment completely as I barely raise a smile at any of it.  I recently watched it all the way through again and, this time, I did actually 'get' what the writers were going for.  However, I'm now seeing that what I didn't like in the opening 'mini-film' was actually the film's main let-down - it's a good idea, but it goes on too long.  Every sketch is actually good, but those which don't work are the ones that could have been trimmed down by a few minutes.  Perhaps then the Pythons could have even added some more sketches for a higher 'laugh rate.'

However, this is Python after all and, with every `miss' there are still plenty of `hits,' most famously of all the (disgustingly) hilarious `Mr Creosote' sketch which deserves a mention simply because of its brilliant make-up.  I've seen critics mention how most of the laughs now come from 'shock' rather than the team's clever writing and I can - sort of - see where they're coming from.  The bigger budget that the film affords allows them to experiment with more than cheap studio sets. 

Also, don't expect any of the TV series trademark animations.  I know there weren't that many in the Pythons' previous two films, but there are even less here.  Instead, you could almost call 'The Meaning of Life' a 'musical' as it included more than a few songs.  Yes, they're catchy and you'll probably remember the chorus for many years to come, they too suffer from going on for a few minutes too long.

So, if you're not expecting a film up to Brian/Grail's standards and are prepared for a few lulls in the humour, then give this a go. It may not be up to the highest standard of Python, but it's still better than most of the `comedies' around today. 

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one