It took God six days to create the heavens and the earth...and Monty Python ninety minutes to screw it up.
Life's questions are 'answered' in a series of outrageous vignettes, beginning with a staid London insurance company which transforms before our eyes into a pirate ship. Then there's the National Health doctors who try to claim a healthy liver from a still-living donor. The world's most voracious glutton brings the art of vomiting to new heights before his spectacular demise.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) is a comedy film directed by Terry Jones, released on March 31, 1983 with a runtime of 1h 47m. It stars Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Eric Idle. Viewers rate it 7.3 out of 10 across 2,200 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Monty Python's The Meaning of Life before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
Trailer
Clip
Clip
Terry Gilliam
as Various Roles
Graham Chapman
as Various Roles
John Cleese
as Various Roles
Eric Idle
as Various Roles
Terry Jones
as Various Roles
Michael Palin
as Various Roles
Carol Cleveland
as Various Roles
Simon Jones
as Cedric
Patricia Quinn
as Mrs. Williams
Judy Loe
as Nurse #1
Andrew Bicknell
as (Segment "The Crimson Permanent Assurance")
Andrew MacLachlan
as Groom
Directed by Terry Jones, written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, produced by John Goldstone.
Average viewer score of 7.3/10 from 2,200 ratings.
Doesn't hold up as well as some of Monty Python's other work, but there's enough classic moments in here to make it worthwhile watching. _Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
Reviewed on April 12, 2019
**I expected much more: this film is a shadow of what it should have been.** I think it's redundant to say what everyone already knows: the Monty Python represents the pinnacle of British humor, and if each of those comedians is excellent alone, seeing them together is always an added bonus. This film, however, is a late work by the group, when each of them was starting to have a solo career and the group's…
Reviewed on May 8, 2023
Well, I suppose if anyone was ever going to be able to get to grips with the meaning of life, it was going to be the “Monty Python” lads but for me their brand of comedy never really worked. This starts with it’s equivalent of a B-reel: a bunch of geriatric insurance processors who react with unexpected violence when one of their number is fired. Next thing their building is a weapon of war wreaking havoc on the…
Reviewed on February 25, 2025
## **Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) Review: A Glorious, Unflinching 10/10 Finale** If *Holy Grail* was a medieval romp and *Life of Brian* a pointed satire, then *The Meaning of Life* is Monty Python's grand, chaotic, and philosophically unhinged thesis statement. It is their most ambitious, most visually stunning, and most brazenly offensive film — a series of sketches loosely tied to the seven ages of…
Reviewed on November 5, 2025
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Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) is available to stream on TCM, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) includes Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Terry Jones. The film was directed by Terry Jones. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life was released on March 31, 1983 and runs for 1h 47m.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) holds an average rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 2,200 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Monty Python's The Meaning of Life trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
