Customer Reviews

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

Before I brought this I read lots reviews about the playing problem. But finally I decided to buy it because the Criterion Collection version out of print so long.
After I got it, I put the first disc into my player at once. Fortunately, there was not any problem when playing it. The movie plays smoothly and clearly. I don't know it's because Universal already replaced it or my dvd player doesn't have ploblem on that special technic.
The movie is well as everyone who love it know. But I think the disc two is a little boring and otiose. If you skip the disc two you won't miss anything. But ensure don't skip the deleted scenes on disc one.

"The Meaning Of Life" has it all: jokes, satire, unforgettable characters, incisive and intelligent songs, a lot of creativity, well, it has everything. Perhaps this isn't a comedy suitable for all the family, but without a doubt this is a movie completely different to the other comedies.

The Monty Python team was capable of create intelligent jokes and at the same time funny jokes with a dose of critic to well respected institutions: the schools, the church, the army, the hospitals, as well to real life people: wealthy people, religious fanatics, lazy and obese people, etc. "The Meaning Of Life" presents very interesting issues while the Monty Python crew mixes black comedy with satire and philosophy.

"The Meaning Of Life" is divided in several mini scenes, featuring characters searching for the answer to the mystery of life, some of them seem to provide clues and theories about the meaning of life, and some of them provide more doubts, creating an excellent balance between jokes and serious issues. Without a doubt "The Meaning Of Life" is highly recommendable for those who are looking an original and unique comedy.

Universal has fessed up to the bad discs, but are blaming the problem on all of our lousy dvd players, which they insist simply can't handle the extremely high-tech quality of their discs! Uhhh...okay....Anyway, what you need to do if your disc is bad--excuse me, I mean, if you have a dvd player which doesn't live up to their standards--well, here is their official statement:
"...With the advent of cutting-edge technology in the DVD format, a small number of DVD players do not have the technical capability to take full advantage of the Monty Python's The Meaning of Life disc format. Universal Studios Home Video has become aware of a player specific issue which results in the appearance of jagged video interlacing, on disc 1 only. Disc 2 is NOT affected. Consumers with an incompatible player may mail back Disc 1 to Universal and receive a replacement. To obtain a pre-paid USPS envelope in which to mail back the original Disc 1, please call 1-800-433-4673. Replacement discs are currently scheduled to be available mid-November 2003. We appreciate your patronage and hope you continue to enjoy our products."

Hey, it's only a couple months away. Thanks to everyone who complained to them about your subpar dvd players.

I've always loved the Python troupe's brand of humor, so, I'm just thrilled to have this classic film, from 1983, on DVD. Any fans of bizarre, zany comedy, should definitely give this one a place in their movie collection.

It's python for heavens' sake...Sure, this isn't "Brian" or worthy of bringing out your dead, but it's sketch comedy 101, the same that begat the Kids in the Hall!!! No it's not a great one, but it's Python, so get it none the less!

MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE is an astounding, riotous, gut-splitting comedy--just what we'd come to expect from these guys who have NEVER disappointed. And to have a couple of glitzy musical numbers tossed in is just gravy. From the opening credits, to the hilarious "Every Sperm is Sacred" number to Eric Idle walking us through the mysteries of life, we are exposed to the true genius of this troupe. The individual sketches, as other reviewers have commented upon, are above-par brilliance.

This edition, however, contains even more bonuses. The interviews with Jones and Gilliam are sheer fun. "The Making of..." portion contains priceless moments as do the outtakes. There are several other "gimmes" here which make this collection a true value for any MPFC fanatic.

Monty Phyton is a wizard team. They have always to show us. This work is one of the most outrageous movies I've ever seen of them.
Told in chapters , every one of them concerns about a meaning issue about the life.
Overwheliming script and fabulous characters depict the meaning of life.
Another triumph of this team , altough it's not their masterpiece there's a lot of laughable gags.

Okay, let's talk about the movie first. It's very, very funny. True, it's not AS good as "Holy Grail" or "Life of Brian", but those two films were just brilliant. Next to them, "Meaning of Life" doesn't measure up...however, it's still funnier than many other "comedies" available on DVD today. The best bits of the movie (in my opinion, anyway) are at the beginning...you get your introduction to the fish, the birth (with the machine that goes "ping!"), the absolutely WONDERFUL "Every Sperm is Sacred" scene, and several other gems that are among the best work the Pythons ever did. The film doesn't have a story per se...it's more just a collection of sketches with a common theme, which can be quite jarring if you're not expecting it. It may be helpful to watch an episode or two of "Flying Circus" to get your system warmed up before you watch this movie.

The special features on this DVD, however, are EXCELLENT. There's a lovely documentary with interviews with the five surviving Pythons, commentary by directors Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, a virtual reunion, a look inside the minds of fish, a mini-documentary on the music of the film, and a very inspired extra by Michael Palin entitled "Soundtrack for the Lonely".

The only area where the DVD doesn't measure up is in the lack of commentary by Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and John Cleese. The special edition DVD of "Holy Grail" and the Criterion Collection of "Life of Brian" contain commentary tracks from all five surviving members of the group...but "Meaning of Life" only has commentary by the two Terrys. It's a shame, because hearing Michael Palin's commentary on the other two films is a big highlight for me (he's just always so much fun), and I was disappointed to find that there wasn't one for this DVD. The "Soundtrack for the Lonely" is hilarious, but it's hardly a replacement for a real commentary. That's my only problem, though - like I said, the rest of the DVD is excellent and very entertaining.

"So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth;
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!"

After being convulsed in hysterics while viewing The Holy Grail and The Life of Brian, I had great expectations for this film. Unfortunately, it rather let me down. While the production values and musical numbers are well-done, only about one fiftieth of the film even made me chuckle; the whole thing was just blah. The only scene that really made me laugh was when John Cleese was teaching a sexual education class and gave his students a very realistic lesson... other viewers know what I mean.

I didn't hate it, but this is definitely their worst effort and a very bad starting point if you're looking to get into Monty Python.

If you've never seen a Monty Python show/movie, rent one first, because it's not for everyone. If you're a Python fan, you know the deal, so I'll just skip to the special features, which in my opinion were disappointingly unfunny. By the players' consensus, this is the worst of the Python movies, but it's still pretty good if your a fan. This movie is essential to the Python fan's collection, just don't expect too much from the bonus disc.