20 Comedy Movies You Must See Before You Die

6. The Life Of Brian (1979)

There are many who will feel shocked and betrayed at the sight of The Life Of Brian ranking above the likes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but the truth is that this highly irreverent and ball busting caper of a motion picture experience is pretty much the best thing that the infamous troupe have ever done.

So whereas The Holy Grail is seminal in its own way, The Life of Brian feels like an apex - the peak of Python, perhaps. The plot, of course, centres on a young and very ordinary man named Brian, who - as a baby - is mistaken for the Messiah. After this neat narrative point is established, the laughs keep on rolling, as Brian spends his entire life constantly being confused with Jesus Christ, with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle all on equally brilliant form, working their collective magic on every joke and comedic set-piece.

What's best about The Life Of Brian is that it plays out like a genuinely intelligent satire whilst - at the same time - clinging to what's best about Python in the first place: the silliness. The fusion is beautiful to watch... all the way to that famous melodic ending.