I used to think so. In fact, I knew pretty much the entire Holy Grail off by heart when I was young, and had worked through The Meaning of Life so many times, I lost count.

Watched Grail with a friend later in life, though, and just stared at the screen. Afterward, he asked me if it was perhaps funnier with the ganje.

So, was it actually all that funny? Or does it dis-improve with age?

We probably become desensitised after hearing the same jokes and sketches over and over. These days, everyone expects the Spanish Inquisition.

The prize for the most subjective thread of the day goes to….

Some of it was very funny, but a lot wasn’t. And it looks very dated today.

It’s weird when forriners quote MP at you and expect you to fall about laughing.

Things are definitely funnier with the right kind of mind-bending mary-jane. I once watched Notting Hill after eating some homemade hash cherry fudge and thought it was the funniest film I’d ever seen. However watching it straight a few months after confirmed it was just the drugs talking.

More on topic I still find Life of Brian hilarious, sober as a judge, after watching it god-knows-how many times.

And here is a massage from the Swedish Prime Minister…

Life of Brian remains one of the funniest films ever made, and I haven’t got bored with it despite watching it loads. Holy Grail and Meaning of Life, much less so IMO.

Thanks Jamie. Will the prize include some free GIF or photoshop work from you?

Dates very much. If you watch some of the stuff that wasn’t the ‘ funny bits’ now you do end up just going wtf

I actually forgot about Life of Brian. Time to revisit I think.

I came across this again through a link on faceache earlier today and genuinely laughed out loud at parts.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPSzPGrazPo&hl=en-GB&gl=GB[/video]

Some of it was very funny, but a lot wasn’t. And it looks very dated today.

Yeah, that’s the other thing everyone forgets.

I picked up the complete DVD box set (and it’s a bloody big box) for not much money on offer a good few years ago. Watching them back, there is obviously some absolutely legendary sketches in there, truly inspired comedy gold. But my god there’s a lot of crap in there as well. I think their approach was just to throw everything out there and hope that some of it sticks.

I came across this again through a link on faceache earlier today and genuinely laughed out loud at parts.

Aye, that’s one of my favourites an’ all.

Ground breaking at the time, but done to death since.
A lot of early 70’s rock doesn’t sound that hot now, because it has been recycled x 1000. If you remind yourself that pretty much nothing was like that before it……..then it makes sense.

also back to MP, time and money. Grail had time but no money (Led Zep and others bailed them half way through) Brian – fair bit of time fair bit of money. MofL no time lots of money.
Why was Brian the best?

Is this thread going to turn in to an argument?

As above (DrJ) – some of it is very funny still, some of it was funny but is dated now and some wasn’t that funny in the first place. The 4 Yorkshireman is still funny today IMO for example.

Not to my taste, I think Life Of Brian was probably their peak IMO, but it’s not really as good as I remember it being – whenever I watch it now (4-5 years since the last time usually) I rarely watch more than half an hour of it.

I always thought the TV series was crap, Holy Grail wasn’t much better.

I couldn’t stand Fawlty Towers either.

Perhaps my taste is more mainstream, if I’m in the mood for a bit of 70’s comedy nostalgia I always enjoy the Two Ronnie’s, Morecombe and Wise or Porridge / Open all hours. Those sorts of things, are so obviously ‘of their time’ but timeless at the same time.

Is this thread going to turn in to an argument?

this isn’t an argument it’s contradiction.

I think the films were good, but the average Fast Show sketch was ten times funnier than any of the Monty Python TV stuff.

No it’s not.

run away!

But would we have had the Fast Show without the Pythons??

But would we have had the Fast Show without the Pythons??

yes, why wouldn’t we? I think at the time there wasn’t else much around, so they were ground breaking in that respect. But I don’t believe that if they hadn’t existed, nothing else would have followed. I guess comedy evolves though, like anything else.

Monty Python remains very funny as far as I am concerned. Having them regurgitate it on stage in their 60s/70s is not.

On a related note, I watched some Fawlty Towers last night – equally funny.

But would we have had the Fast Show without the Pythons??

Yes, Star witness’s Spike Milligan and peter Sellers

My take on it is that when the Pythons made their sketches / told their jokes it was ground breaking stuff. It was all so new and fresh.

There is so much of it regurgitated and *plagerised by kids TV and lesser comedy script writer that a lot of the Python stuff has been done to death even if you haven’t watched Python for some time.

*I can’t spell that

They are all still legends to me.

Is this the five-minute argument?

When I was 14yrs old couldn’t watch it without being in physical pain from helpless retching laughter. Now it just makes me smile. Some of the sketches were and are persistently annoying to me, but the HG and LoB films pure class. It just gets familiar on repeat viewings I spose , as do I. Rarely die with laughter at recent comedy so must be my inner Grumplestiltskin asleep at the wheel.

But would we have had the Fast Show without the Pythons??

Yes, Star witness’s Spike Milligan and peter Sellers

Can I add Peter Cook and Duds to this line up?

The Holy Grail and Life of Brian are **** ace you miserable humourless sods 🙂

I still love it!

The life of Brian stands apart as a true work of genius, the rest of their output is patchy at best.

I still love Life of Brian, love most of Holy Grail and think the opening animation was the best part of the TV series.

As above a lot of it is hit and miss, and pretty dated now, but the lumberjack song still cracks me up.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zey8567bcg[/video]

and for some reason I think of it whenever I hear opera and imagine the words being sung have no relation to the gusto and passion with which it is sung,

As others said the sketch show was very hit and miss IME
The films are OK

Life of Brian is one of the best films of all time

Can I just say that this is the first time I’ve been on the internet?

These days, everyone expects the Spanish Inquisition.

According to QI it was ever thus as the inquisitors wrote to those they wished to inquire of in advance.

While I can appreciate that it was ground breaking, I’ve never found anything they ever did even remotely funny. I’ve tried to find it funny but totally failed!

Re-watch Yes Minister. Nothing has changed except the decor, suits and haircuts. Still very funny.

Similarly Porridge and perhaps The Goodies.

Most stuff dates, simply because it looks normal – no surprise, no tweaking of sensibilities.

Life of Brian is their only properly clever witty film. There are a few gold sketches in there like the argument one for example or the northern playwright. But a lot of it is just stupid and when it came out this was genius. But 30 years of being quoted by students and ripped off in revues has left it worse for wear.

Re-watch Yes Minister. Nothing has changed except the decor, suits and haircuts. Still very funny.

Yes (prime)minister is just class, and a reminder that despite the march of technology the world is still the same as it ever was.