Monty Python’s Life of Brian | 1979 | R | – 6.5.5

Why is “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” rated R? The MPAA rating does not include content details. The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes an implied sex scene including full male and female nudity, discussions of virginity and gender identity, and nudity in statues, mosaics and paintings; scenes of multiple crucifixions, a stoning ending with a man being crushed by a boulder, a scene of the aftermath of coliseum games with bloody severed limbs being gathered up and carted away, a group of men committing ritual suicide by sword with no blood shown, many arguments with some shoving and slapping, and an encounter with aliens; and at least 6 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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Irreverent farce on faith, religion and political ideology: A contemporary of Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth (Graham Chapman) is inadvertently acclaimed as a messiah, despite his constant and fervent protestations that he’s just an average man and just wants to be left alone. Also with John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terence Bayler and Carol Cleveland. Directed by Terry Jones. [Running Time: 1:34]

Monty Python’s Life of Brian SEX/NUDITY 6

 – A man and a woman lie in bed together sleeping and sex is implied: the man stands up and we see his fully nude back (bare buttocks, back and legs), and when he opens the window to a crowd of people outside we see him fully nude from the front (bare chest abdomen and genitals are shown); the woman is then shown fully nude from front and back (bare breasts, abdomen, pubic hair, back, buttocks and legs are seen). A woman gets on her knees in front of a standing man and the scene ends, implying that she will perform oral sex on him.
► A man asks a woman if she is a virgin. A reference is made to an “attempted rape.” A woman reprimands her adult son for “going on about sex.” A woman mimics her adult son saying, “Will the girls like this,” and “Is this big enough?” A song contains lyrics about “things starting to grow,” as a boy goes through puberty. A man tells his friends, “I want to be a woman,” and “I want to have babies,” and we later see him dressed in women’s clothing and using a woman’s name.
► A nude man climbs out of a hole in the ground and his very long beard covers his genitals from the front (we see his partial bare chest and abdomen, bare buttocks and part of his genitals from the back between his legs). A man is shown wearing a fabric wrap around his waist as he is dragged by guards to be stoned (we see his bare chest, abdomen and legs). Nude male statues are seen with genitals visible (bare chests, abdomens and legs are also shown). We see a drawing of a nude man with his genitals covered (his bare chest and abdomen are seen). A mosaic floor depicts nudes with the genitals covered (bare chests, abdomens, legs, buttocks and backs are shown); it’s not clear if one of them is a woman or both are men. Men being crucified are shown with cloth wraps around their waists (we see their bare chests, abdomens, and legs).

Monty Python’s Life of Brian VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – We see bloody severed limbs and heads and splatters of blood on the floor of a coliseum as people put the body parts in baskets (one person pulls a ring off a hand’s finger). We see a decayed corpse cut down off a cross.
► People are tied to crosses and the crosses are lifted into the air where they are held vertical until death (we do not see them die); we see nails in the palms of their hands (no blood is shown) and there is talk of 140 people being crucified that day. A man is dragged in shackles to where he will be stoned and a crowd gathers as an official reads the charges against him; one person in the crowd becomes anxious to throw stones and throws one before being told to and others yell, another person in the crowd is stoned after blaspheming and a boulder is dropped on the official and he is crushed (there’s no blood). A man with a spear is chased into a coliseum by a man with a sword and wearing armor; the first man runs around the stadium away from the other man until the second man grabs his chest and collapses on the ground (it is an implied heart attack).
► A man falls off a tower and is caught by a passing spaceship piloted by aliens with one large eye on the end of a stalk; the vessel is chased and shot at until it crashes to the ground (we see the rubble) and the man steps out of the wreckage unharmed. A man falls from a building and lands on another man. A “suicide squad” arrives at the site of a crucifixion and they draw their swords and stab themselves through, falling apparently dead, with no blood shown.
► Several men are shown with heavy wooden crosses leaning on their shoulders as they are forced to drag them to a mount where they will be crucified (guards whip them if they stop moving); one man steps in to help another man and he is then shown dragging the cross as the other man runs away. A man is shown chained to the wall of a dungeon cell in a few scenes and he is shown alternating between upside down and right side up. A man is chased by three guards carrying swords. Several people argue in a desert and one man tells another man, “I’ll smash your bloody face in,” before he accidentally punches a woman in the face and several people shove and hit each other (no wounds are seen). A guard slaps a man in the face several times. A man is taken away by guards, people yell and a woman hits a guard on the helmet. Men fight and one is punched in the nose, and then struck in the head with a chain knocking him out; we see him being dragged by the feet to a dungeon cell where he is locked up and a man spits on him a couple of times. A woman slaps a crying infant in the face. A man pushes a woman to the ground by the face (no injuries shown). A woman yells at three men and pushes them out of her barn. A man paints graffiti on a wall and we see that it reads, “Romans go home”; the man is caught by a Roman officer who holds a sword to his throat while correcting his grammar and he orders the man to paint the phrase 100 times (we see walls covered with the words the next morning) threatening to cut off his genitals if he does not. A man jumps into a hole in the ground where another man sits and the second man yells that the first man hurt his foot; he complains that the man made him break his vow of silence. A crowd of people swarms a man and carries him away. A woman hits her adult son in the face. A guard calls out the name of a person attached to a wooden cross and another man claims to be that person; he is lowered from his cross and set free.
► People argue over a presumed message delivered by a man; they argue over his lost sandal and a gourd that he had carried and they chase him into and through the desert. People on crosses argue and demand to be crucified in separate areas based on their religion. Two men argue in a marketplace about haggling over the price of items. Two men argue about a preferred method of death (crucifixion, stabbing, etc.). A woman tells her adult son, “Let’s go to the stoning.” A reference is made to an “attempted rape.” Several people plan a kidnapping. A character proclaims, “I will suffer death to rid this country of the Romans.” A woman is startled when three men enter her barn and she falls off a stool. A woman yells at a man and tells him to stop picking his nose. People call out, “Kill the heretic.” People in a crowd, as well as guards, laugh at two men with speech impediments and a couple of guards are taken away to be punished by death. Many people attached to wooden crosses sing in unison, “Always look on the bright side of life.”
► In an animation, an angel is shot out of the sky (no wound is visible). A man’s face and hands are shown painted dark. Women wear fake beards in order to participate in a stoning (women were not allowed to participate). A man calls out body parts of animals in a coliseum as if he is selling peanuts at a sporting event.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian LANGUAGE 5

 – About 6 F-words, 7 sexual references, 1 obscene arm gesture, 8 scatological terms, 18 anatomical terms, 9 mild obscenities, 5 derogatory references to Jewish people, name-calling (drunk, lawbreakers, sonny, disgusting, spotty, Big Nose, splitters, rubbish, Imperialist, silly, blasphemer, mad, weirdo, klutz, birdbrained, flat headed, doddler, silly sods, absurd, oddball, bugger, nasty, weird, lepers, do-gooders, lucky, ego thing, feminists, rowdy rebels, Welsh tart, beasts, sinners, wretched, whore, fish face, rat bastard, wrongdoer, robber, rapist, deaf as a post, deaf and mad, miserable, bloody Romans, naughty boy), exclamations (bloody, shut-up, honestly, go away, blast it, quiet, be quiet, leave it alone, oh dear, buzz off, great, ohhh, shove off, uh oh, silence, ahhh, shhh), 17 religious exclamations (e.g. Son Of God, King Of The Jews, Jehovah, Messiah, Lord, God, Holy Gourd, Hail Messiah, For God’s Sake, God Bless You, Jesus, God Almighty). | profanity glossary |

Monty Python’s Life of Brian SUBSTANCE USE

 – None.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Jesus, religion, faith, blind faith, racism, gender identity, oppression, terrorism, revolution, individualism, differences, cults, solidarity, tyranny, martyrs, irreverence, blasphemy, church schisms, speech impediments, passing judgment.

Monty Python’s Life of Brian MESSAGE

 – Human beings think their motivations are impeccable and their actions rational but in reality they are confused, shallow, violent and self-righteous creatures.