The Meaning Of Life (1983 film)

What can I say that would be a fair judge of this film? It is one of the most misunderstood comedies of all time. If you see Woody Allen's Everything You Wanted To Now About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask and Mel Brooks' History Of The World Part I then you will have a frame of reference. Some frame of reference at least. The Gilliam opening and Mr. Cresote are the only things stopping this film from having the consistency film-goers tend to crave. Otherwise it's religion, war, sex, birth and death in a philosophical/juvenile artsy/pop film. It's a paradox the comedians of the 70s understood as George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Steve Martin along with the aforementioned filmmakers. Brilliant and mad it appeals to the usual crowd. The Crimson Permanent Assurance is great in the same sense Time Bandits is great which is a different tone than a straight Monty Python concoction so if you can't take 30 minutes of unhindered Gilliam be prepared to fast forward. I personally enjoy but I think I'm the only Gilliam fan in my crew. There's a little fish in a restaurant's fish tank scene that segue ways into the feature film that is a good brief straight to the point intro. Then comes the second of half a dozen songs in the film. One of the key points of interest comes up next. Part 1 "The Miracle Of Birth" has Chapman and Cleese playing obstetricians with a comic indifference to the pregnant woman. Some very funny one-liners and retorts pursue for the first clear laughs of the film and then the second half is about a lower class Catholic couple with something like 72 children, a Jones/Palin number that gives the real roars of laughter as they explain to their children why they had more children than they could feed. This section ends with a Protestant couple looking down on the "barbaric" restrictions of the papacy. One of two critiques of this film is they should of followed this with the "Martin Luther" scene you can see in the DVD deleted scenes bonus features. Then "Growth And Learning" gives a funny lesson in the Bible and sex (see the theme). The sex education is really funny and quite informative. The third section "Fighting Each Other" deals with the inherit hypocrisy of war. Eric plays at least three hysterical parts in the Anglo-Zulu war scene alone along with strong parts filled with Chapman and Palin. The intermission "Find The Fish" segment is funny and legendary and separates the hard core from the casual fans as does really everything else in the film. The segment "Middle Age" is great for fans of abstract humor where restaurants serve conversations not just food and Palin and Idle play ignorant tourists to Cleese as the waiter. Next "Live Organ Transplants" is funny but gruesome that leads into a musical existential question to give the scene a funny top off. Then comes "Autumn Years" where I once again for a second and last time I would of made an edit as Mr. Cresote was gross without a point and I would say as the only meaningless scene is the only truly crude scene in this film which has an unjust labeling of crude. "Death" follows slowly but ends with a great musical number and a good closer from Palin in drag. Hopefully the bulk of the 2 hours of viewing this film gives you more laughs than gags. And now the musical credits
"Accountancy Shanty" The Crimson Permanent Assurance
Lyrics by Eric Idle and John Duprez
"The Meaning Of Life" opening
Lyrics by Eric Idle
"Every Sperm Is Sacred" The Miracle Of Birth
Lyrics by Terry Jones and Michael Palin
"Oh God Please Don't Burn Us" Growth And Learning
Lyrics by Graham Chapman and John Cleese
"Galaxy Song" Live Organ Transplants
Lyrics by Eric Idle
"Penis Song" Middle Ages
Lyrics by Eric Idle
"Christmas In Heaven" Death
Lyrics by Terry Jones
Congrats to all 6 for giving a better than usual send off of a legendary last effort of a legendary team. I teared up at The Liberty Bell March.