Splitting Heirs (1993 film)

First let me say it's funnier than it's posters imply. Secondly it has Eric written all over it. Of course it was written by Eric so that explains it. Lewd irreverent behavior all throughout it in the typical PG-13 Hollywood marketable kind of way but cleverly done so. I thought I would find the gold digging humor unbearable and John Cleese being an unwelcomed ham stealing everybody's else's scenes (Let me make it clear I hold unfair resentment to John Cleese for having more success than my favorite Python members). But watching it with a bias against the two most famous Pythons I still couldn't dislike it in fact I loved it of course Eric was one of the reasons I was drawn to the Pythons in the first place. And one of Eric's great jumping points in his comedy is the unfair effect of wealth and power, especially in one's sex life. And John plays the slimy conniving looney lawyer as only he could (or probably Michael Palin). Wondering what could of made this movie bomb I was dumbfounded. It had plenty of quotable lines ("People were sex mad in the 60's apparently doing it just for fun"), great stars with then currently successful comic actor Rick Moranis (Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Little Shop Of Horrors) and a safe rating in the states. Oh well I got it at a great price at a local used DVD store and waited awhile to watch it and wondered why I waited so long and even my sister enjoyed it and she's gotten less into quirky humor in recent years but is still Python fan but not the fanatic I am, sort of the John and Eric group of fans who love their more conventional work, whereas I love Terry Jones and Michael Palin the best, well to be specific here is how it breaks down
Best writers: Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Best performers: Michael Palin, Graham Chapman
Best performing duo: Michael Palin, John Cleese
Favorite masterminds leadership sort of personalities: Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
Cambridge Vs Oxford: Oxford wins
(And I still thought this movie was hilarious!)

Dudley Do-Right (1999 film)

Did I ever tell you why as comedians I preferred the Do Not Adjust Your Set, Monty Python members over the At Last The 1948 Show cast members John Cleese and Graham Chapman? It's because Eric, Terry and Michael could just as easily master clever/dumb children's humor as they could crude and/or satirical adult oriented work. And Dudley DoRight fits the former perfectly. And Eric had the greatest knack for giving a Pythonesque tone for a movie in just a short cameo remember National Lampoon's European Vacation and South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut. Well this is the family friendly version of that. Goofy narration and thin plot to carry absurd situational humor in all it's dumb glory and Eric doesn't even have to do it alone as Brendan Fraser has already proven his talents as a comedic actor as well as working with fellow MP alumni John Cleese in the other 1950's cartoon tv kid show made into a family film of the 90's George Of The Jungle. I have not seen that one yet as I felt it was more natural to watch this one first as Eric doing live comedy trumps John phoning in voice overs for me. The greatest treasure in this film is watching Eric (the lone prospector; it's a bigger role than his film credit implies he's in half a dozen scenes) trains Brendan (Dudley DoRight) to fight dirty against Alfred Molina (Snidely Whiplash). If you're not laughing by then, then it's apparent the movie is just not your taste but I couldn't imagine why because if nothing else it's something amusing you can watch with your kids.

Spamalot (2005 album)

No other Python is so content and happy to rehash Monty Python nostalgia as the great and lazy Eric Idle. Aside from small parts in many major films (National Lampoon's European Vacation, Dudley DoRight etc) and some voice over work (The Quest For Camelot, South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut etc) Eric keeps lite with such projects as Eric Idle Sings Monty Python. However his reworking of Monty Python And The Holy Grail into a musical is half reliant on previous Monty material and half new. The composition is credited as John Du Prez and Eric Idle with lyrics by Eric Idle. But the old material taken for this project mock up the liner notes and I feel like clarifying what redundant bits you get. Of course "Knights Of The Round Table" (Chapman/Cleese) "Brave Sir Robin" (Innes/Idle) "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" (Idle) "Finland" (Palin). A couple of these songs are obvious inclusions and "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" is just smart banking, but "Finland" seemed liked he stretched to find a place for a Monty reference in an England/Finland pun. The "Finland" song also includes the Fish Slapping Dance sketch incorporated into the tune. Scenes given new songs include the Plague "He Is Not Yet Dead" the French Taunter "Run Away" Swamp Castle "Where Are You?" "His Name Is Lancelot". And so by in large the 25 track album is original. A neat amending of the film has Dennis the peasant actually being the same character as Galahad with songs "Come With Me" and "Laker Girls Cheer" converting the skeptical Dennis. Highlights you wouldn't know about if you're a Python fan but new to the Spamalot franchise branch include Tim Curry (King Arthur) and voluptuously sexy siren Sara Ramirez (The Lady Of The Lake) dueting on songs "The Song That Goes Like This" and the moving (honestly) "Find Your Grail" both with encore editions at the shows closing moments. The reinvented Python works well as much for its cast as its material used. The great David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) as Sir Robin and the impeccable Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) as Sir Lancelot and a relatively unknown Christian Sieber as Sir Galahad.

The Rutles All You Need Is Cash (1978 film)

Why oh why did I sell this DVD? Oh yeah because I couldn't stand watching it alone anymore and no one can indulge both my Beatles and my Monty Python fixation simultaneously. Anyway I love this film and it comes from my Eric Idle phase of my never-ending Python-fixation. The humor is wonderful to anyone who knows the Beatles historically via the late 70s Beatles revival that made this sincere mockery or as I was brought up in the Anthology era. But this is Python humor and a Python product and is an ideal mesh of my two fetishes even featuring George Harrison and Michael Palin in a very Pythonesque scene of an interviewer (Harrison) asking a Bananas (Apple) Records Exec about reports of theft from the studio and the Exec (Palin) openly denying these allegations in front of a studio robbery. The song parodies aren't as good as they could be (except "Get Up And Go" and "Let's Be Natural"), but the history represented in the mockery is the brilliance. Eric Idle as the main interviewer asking a former record exec (Aykroyd) who passed on The Rutles claiming guitars groups are on their way out "How's it feel to be such an asshole?" Other great SNL participants that highlight this piece so well are Bill Murray as the emphatic radio DJ Murray The K, John Belushi as Ron Decline the ruthless manager possibly a hybrid mockery of Allen Klein and Phil Spector both shrewd, fierce and loved by John until personal betrayal and finally Gilda Radner as an on the street interviewee who in a hurry feigns ignorance on knowing who the Rutles were but when coaxed by a slap she goes on a personal rampage of who the Rutles were and how they shaped her generation and her life as Eric fights to get his microphone away from her again. Paul Simon and Mick Jagger give a couple of good cameo spots in the Christopher Guest/Spinal Tap style mockumentary this film has for a tone. All in all the film's a joy for Beatles, Python and/or SNL fans and a strong recommendation just watch it with someone who doesn't love anymore fanatically than you nor someone who is more indifferent to the subject matter because it would be a letdown on the experience.