Gross, silly, caustic, tasteless and obnoxious are all adjectives that alternately apply to Monty Python's The Meaning of Life though probably the most appropriate description would simply be funny.
The Meaning of Life
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
United Kingdom · 1983
Rated R · 1h 47m
Director Terry Jones
Starring Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle
Genre Comedy
Add to Watchlist
Please login to add films to your watchlist.
The Monty Python troupe is trying to look at life to answer all of the big questions. Through a series of vignettes they present life from birth to death, a metaphysical investigation into what gives our lives meaning at each stage of its development, engaging with topics ranging from sex education to organized religion.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
You will not necessarily know any more about life after the film is done, but you'll have killed a couple of hours painlessly, and you will have laughed a lot. [18 Apr 1984, p.C6]
Excessive and self-indulgent it's true but still the Pythons at their worst are still worth a look.
Entertainment Weekly by Keith Staskiewicz
It’s tough to find the meaning in much of the craziness on display here, let alone the meaning of all human existence as the title promises, but you will find a whole lot of exquisite nonsense.
The Meaning Of Life is unsparing and elaborate in its vision of humanity at its foulest.
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
A movie that seems consumed with a desire to push us too far. This movie is so far beyond good taste, and so cheerfully beyond, that we almost feel we're being One-Upped if we allow ourselves to be offended.
The New York Times by Vincent Canby
Monty Python's the Meaning of Life is funny but, being unreasonable, I wish it were funny from start to finish.
Users who liked this film also liked
Life of Brian
He's not the Messiah. He's just an average guy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1979
- Director Terry Jones
- Cast Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
A wacky take on the adventures of the legendary King Arthur.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1975
- Director Terry Jones
- Cast Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure
(La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2003
- Director Javier Fesser
- Cast Benito Pocino, Pepe Viyuela, Dominique Pinon, Paco Sagarzazu, Mariano Venancio, Janfri Topera
- Genre Action, Comedy
- Available on No streaming locations found.
And Now for Something Completely Different
If the Motion Picture Industry dies... Monty Python killed it!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1971
- Director Ian MacNaughton
- Cast Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Tideland
The squirrels made it seem less lonely.
- ✭
- United Kingdom, Canada • 2005
- Director Terry Gilliam
- Cast Jodelle Ferland, Janet McTeer, Jennifer Tilly, Jeff Bridges, Brendan Fletcher, Dylan Taylor
- Genre Fantasy, Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction
- Available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, ARROW, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV, Midnight Pulp, Kanopy
Yellowbeard
A Shipload of Laughs.
- ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Mexico • 1983
- Director Mel Damski
- Cast Graham Chapman, Martin Hewitt, Eric Idle, Peter Cook, Michael Hordern, Peter Boyle
- Genre Comedy, Adventure
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV
Clockwise
Mr. Stimpson ran his life and everyone else's by the clock. Then one day at 2:09 and 43 seconds... The clock decided to strike back.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1986
- Director Christopher Morahan
- Cast John Cleese, Alison Steadman, Penelope Wilton, Stephen Moore, Geoffrey Palmer, Benjamin Whitrow
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Freevee, Plex, Plex Channel
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Never before in the history of human civilization has there been a movie called "Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl"
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1982
- Director Ian MacNaughton, Terry Hughes
- Cast Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video
Fierce Creatures
A quaint English zoo is the setting for a riotous revolt after its director announces to only display "fierce creatures."
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 1997
- Director Fred Schepisi, Robert Young
- Cast John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Robert Lindsay, Ronnie Corbett
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
An account of Baron Munchausen's supposed adventures with his band of misfits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, West Germany • 1988
- Director Terry Gilliam
- Cast John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Oliver Reed, Charles McKeown, Winston Dennis
- Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Family
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
A passionate, intense love affair between two fascinating creative giants.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Japan, Switzerland • 2009
- Director Jan Kounen
- Cast Anna Mouglalis, Mads Mikkelsen, Natacha Lindinger, Elena Morozova, Grigori Manoukov
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Damned
(La caduta degli dei)
He was soon to become the second most powerful man in Nazi Germany.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, West Germany • 1969
- Director Luchino Visconti
- Cast Dirk Bogarde, Ingrid Thulin, Helmut Griem, Helmut Berger, Renaud Verley, Umberto Orsini
- Genre War, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Game of Death II
(死亡塔)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, Korea • 1981
- Director Ng See-Yuen
- Cast Kim Tae-Jeong, Bruce Lee, Hwang Jang-Lee, Roy Horan, Roy Chiao, Hao Li-Jen
- Genre Drama, Action
- Available on Hi-YAH
The Trip to Italy
Years after their successful restaurant review tour of Northern Britain, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon take on Italy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2014
- Director Michael Winterbottom
- Cast Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Rosie Fellner, Claire Keelan, Marta Barrio, Timothy Leach
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC Plus Apple TV Channel , IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Pluto TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Lola and the Sea
(Lola vers la mer)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France • 2019
- Director Laurent Micheli
- Cast Benoît Magimel, Mya Bollaers, Els Deceukelier, Sami Outalbali, Jeremie Zagba
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.