Average Rating: 
Rating:  - LIKEABLE, BUT NOT THE BEST PYTHON EFFORT
This movie has some misteps in it, but nothing too bad. Overall it's a funny, entertaining movie with a lot of classic scenes. I enjoy the scene in which a professor at a boy's school uses himself and his wife as an example for a sexual education class. He scolds members of the class for snickering as he makes love in front of them, occasionally asking questions of the class and making comments on the act.Mostly, though, there are two things to recommend this movie by: 1) Terry Gilliam's short film which accompanies the movie and finds its way into the body of the narative. It reminded me of Gilliam's "Brazil" and has one of the most comically brilliant endings of any piece of film-making that I have ever seen. 2) There is also an almost ten minute long singing, dancing, old-style Hollywood dance number in which a Catholic father explains to his LARGE family that "every sperm is sacred." The number is genius, as is the way that the parade of dancing children continues into the background of the next scene. See the movie. You'll be entertained, but not as much so as by some of Monty Python's other work.
Rating: - Uneven But Still Great
I love Python, and even though this is not my favorite of their films, I still like it a lot. It's a bit uneven, moving forward as it does in fits and starts (as in the case of And Now For Something Completely Different, feature films do not make the best home for sketch comedy); Gilliam's Crimson Permanent Assurance short is well overlong, though amusing enough. Some of the other sketches misfire as well -- the search for the missing leg goes on far too long, though a good deal of the surrounding material ("A tiger? In Africa?" "Shh!", plus the hilarious examples of british pluck in battle) still makes me laugh. Gilliam coming out of the Zulu suit is also a good bit. The American tourist couple in the Hawaiian Torture Chamber restaurant, however, brings the film, not just to a screeching halt, but damn well near to narcolepsy (if I want this kind of dialogue, I'll watch a Pinter play, thanks very much). And I could live a long and happy life if I never had to hear "Christmas In Heaven" (hip-hip-hip-hip-hip hooray!) EVER again.What does work: Jones and Palin's utterly brilliant "Every Sperm Is Sacred," which does for the Catholic position on birth control what Yoko Ono did for the Beatles (sorry, that was a cheap shot). Ditto Eric Idle's "Universe Song", which compresses billions of years into three minutes and still can't prove the existence of intelligent life on Earth. The boys' school scenes are vintage Python (Cleese's matter-of-fact sex-ed class is a scream), as are the WWI (WWII?) battle sequence and the drill sergeant bit ("'Aven't you ever seen the 'And of God before?!"). And of course, it wouldn't be Python without some disgusting humor -- the "Organ Donor" sketch, with Gilliam as the Jewish-sounding Rastafari, is a classic ("Can we have your liver, then?"); as is "Mr. Creosote," which is simultaneously the most sickening and the most hilarious thing I've ever seen Python do. Terry Jones makes you want to laugh and puke at the same time, and that's an incredible triumph. And then there is the "Death" sequence, with Cleese as the Grim Reaper, which almost defies description it's so good. I love Palin's exit line in that bit. It's just too bad it's followed by the abovementioned "Heaven" sequence. (They should have gone to Hell instead -- it would have been a lot funnier!) There are other good bits in this film too -- such as when the Crimson Permanent Assurance attacks the film, and the beyond-surreal "Middle of the Film" bit, but that's all my heart can stand for now. If I had my druthers I'd watch Holy Grail or Life of Brian instead, but Meaning of Life is still worth watching.
Rating: - Python at their best
It's hard for me to decide which of Python's three feature films is the best, since they are all excellent. But this movie certainly contains some of Monty Python's best material. A classic mix of the cerebral and the silly.Some people complain that there's too much sex in this movie. Did they perhaps walk out after the hilarious Sex Ed scene? Because sex is just one of many, varied subjects lampooned in this movie. Some complain that it's disgusting, or that there is too much vulgar language. Wimps! People with backbones and an appreciation of satire will find themselves doubled over in laughter at the incredible lengths these five Brits and a Yank go to poke fun at all of us. If this movie offends you, you deserve to be offended! I'm giving 4 stars due to the lack of any special features on the DVD. Either wait for the Special Edition to come out (Special Editions of Holy Grail and Life of Brian are already available), or buy the videotape.
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