Is Life of Brian in good taste?

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bettercallpaul

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The movie by Monty Python I mean.
Alms for an ex leper
Blessed are the cheesemakers.
Always look on the bright side of life.

I think it is worth imagining Jesus with a sense of humour. otherwise life would be awfully grim.
 
It’s a great movie, but it’s certainly not in good taste. In fact I’d say it’s in very bad taste indeed. I’ve watched it three or four times and I have the book of the script. I don’t think movie makers would be allowed to get away with gags like that nowadays, for instance when Stan says, “I want to be a woman. From now on I want you all to call me Loretta.”
 
I was thinking that earlier too. No one would think that was funny anymore.
 
I just think “Blessed are the cheesemakers” is a classic. Because we can get so bogged down in the seriousness of it all. That we take ourselves too seriously as well.
 
I can appreciate that point of view. But I grew up in the seventies in a pretty relaxed, irreverent, Catholic home, watching Dave Allen and The Two Ronnies. Plus Monty Python. By the time the movie came out, I had been groomed for the humour. 🙂
 
Is it supposed to be? I can’t say I have ever thought of good taste as going hand in hand with Monty Python. Or Jesus Christ going hand in hand with Monty Python. Or Jesus Christ going hand in hand with ‘good taste’ necessarily. I guess I do agree humor and religion, and or humor vs. religion, is a fascinating topic. Are they polar opposites? Compatible? Maybe humor that is harmless/life affirming/forgiving/generous is ok but not mockery/ridicule, etc. Life of Brian might be in trouble here. I think the question should be: what is the effect of the humor on the person? Good or bad. Is he better or worse for it? I think I just saved Life of Brian.
 
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FollowChrist34 said:
I can’t say I have ever thought of good taste as going hand in hand with Monty Python.
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I think if it was in really bad taste, it wouldn’t be funny. The characters usually have some loveable point like the character of Brian being a “Mommy’s boy”. Eric Idle is always charming and harmless. The humour is never vicious or nasty. If anything, the humour is aimed at how the story of Jesus is told to us, all the clichés and stereotypes. I see it as a kind of wake up call actually. Some of it is aimed at the moviemaking of Jesus life too.
 
I agree. I don’t really like Life of Brian but I understand how people can find it amusing. I like Michael Palin, John Cleese. Fawlty Towers, for example, I adore. (FT is back running on a local channel now - they are still funny) But Fawlty Towers is not taking on Jesus Christ. I have always enjoyed the works of Voltaire but the last time I read Candide I was actually a little offended at some of the parodies of the Gospel, etc. For the first time I saw the viciousness of it. But I still like the book very very much. Not everything has to be ‘Catholic’ or ‘Christian’ to be acceptable or valuable as art. Let’s not go there. We should evaluate the value of art or comedy on a broader scale than that.
 
FollowChrist34 said:
Not everything has to be ‘Catholic’ or ‘Christian’ to be acceptable or valuable as art. Let’s not go there.
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Good point. Guess I wanted be saturated in Catholic thinking. I still find the concept of “Catholic thinking” elusive.
 
It’s one of my favorite movies. But then, I’m a huge Monty Python fan.😆
 
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