Best movies like Life of Brian
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Brian Cohen is an average young Jewish man, but through a series of ridiculous events, he gains a reputation as the Messiah. When he's not dodging his followers or being scolded by his shrill mother, the hapless Brian has to contend with the pompous Pontius Pilate and acronym-obsessed members of a separatist movement. Rife with Monty Python's signature absurdity, the tale finds Brian's life paralleling Biblical lore, albeit with many more laughs.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 418000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: spoof, parody, funny, humorous, hilarious, satirical, surreal, absurd, controversial, black comedy
Best tv shows and movies like Life of Brian (1979):
Similar in 83%
A Private Function (1984)
Plot Summary:
Life isn't easy in 1947 Yorkshire, where strict post-war rationing is putting the squeeze on the townspeople. But when a working-class couple discover that the town's wealthy elite has been secretly fattening up an illegal pig for their own selfish gluttony, they hatch an outlandish kidnapping scheme that gives new meaning to the phrase bringing home the bacon!.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: clever, humorous, offbeat, witty, culinary, independent film, semi serious, realistic, biting, tense
Similar in 84%
The Missionary (1982)
Plot Summary:
In 1905, after 10 years of missionary work in Africa, the Rev. Charles Fortesque is recalled to England, where his bishop gives him his new assignment - to minister to London's prostitutes.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: clever, sexy, feel good, humorous, semi serious, independent film, inspirational, thought provoking, touching, enigmatic
Similar in 86%
At Last the 1948 Show (1967)
Plot Summary:
At Last the 1948 Show is a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions, in association with Rediffusion London. Transmitted on Britain's ITV network during 1967 and 1968, it brought Cambridge Footlights humour to a broader audience. The show starred Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Marty Feldman and Aimi MacDonald. Cleese and Brooke-Taylor were also the programme editors. The director was Ian Fordyce.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 582
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, offbeat, humorous, surreal, witty, not serious, parody
Similar in 89%
History of the World: Part I (1981)
Plot Summary:
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 54000
Genere: Comedy, History, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, funny, slapstick, humorous, cult classic, witty, sketch comedy, slapstick comedy, experimental
Similar in 87%
And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)
Plot Summary:
And Now for Something Completely Different is a film spin-off from the television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus featuring favourite sketches from the first two seasons.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: surreal, funny, absurd, spoof, sketch comedy, cult classic, clever, humorous, witty, mind bending
Similar in 86%
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 124000
Genere: Comedy, Musical
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: parody, funny, surreal, philosophical, absurd, spoof, existential, hilarious, black comedy, sketch comedy
Similar in 78%
Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy (2010)
Plot Summary:
Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) is a comic oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian, which retells the tragic tale of Mandy, impregnated by a Roman soldier, giving birth to Brian, a reluctant revolutionary of the People's Front of Judea who falls in love with Judith, gets mistaken for a Messiah and is arrested by the Romans and sentenced to be crucified. It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Music, Musical
Country: UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, not serious, light, atmospheric, harsh, talky, funny, offbeat, unusual plot structure
Similar in 76%
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus (1972)
Plot Summary:
It is essentially the same concept as an English Monty Python's episode, but in German. The paintings by Albrecht Dürer, fall victim to silly animations. Little Red Riding Hood shows up too. A number of familiar sketches, including the Lumberjack song, all in German.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK, West Germany
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: parody, absurd, sketch comedy, slapstick comedy, slapstick, dark comedy, cult movie cast
Similar in 87%
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
Plot Summary:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British sketch comedy series created by the comedy group Monty Python and broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines. It also featured animations by Terry Gilliam, often sequenced or merged with live action. The first episode was recorded on 7 September and broadcast on 5 October 1969 on BBC One, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. The show often targets the idiosyncrasies of British life, especially that of professionals, and is at times politically charged. The members of Monty Python were highly educated. Terry Jones and Michael Palin are Oxford University graduates; Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Graham Chapman attended Cambridge University; and American-born member Terry Gilliam is an Occidental College graduate. Their comedy is often pointedly intellectual, with numerous erudite references to philosophers and literary figures. The series followed and elaborated upon the style used by Spike Milligan in his ground breaking series Q5, rather than the traditional sketch show format. The team intended their humour to be impossible to categorise, and succeeded so completely that the adjective "Pythonesque" was invented to define it and, later, similar material.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, surreal, sitcom, humorous, parody, funny, psychedelic, political, absurd, avant garde
Similar in 87%
The Groove Tube (1974)
Plot Summary:
Chevy Chase makes his film debut in this riotous collection of live skits. Directed by Ken Shapiro and featuring Chase, Richard Belzer and others, The Groove Tube mocks TV Land and its trappings by spoofing kids' shows -- from a marijuana-smoking Koko the Clown who resides in Make Believe Land, to Safety Sam, the penis with a plan who gleefully informs the audience of the perils of casual sex.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, witty, not serious, sketch comedy, surreal, cult classic, clever, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 81%
Fierce Creatures (1997)
Plot Summary:
Ex-policeman Rollo Lee is sent to run Marwood Zoo, the newly acquired business of a New Zealand tycoon. In order to meet high profit targets and keep the zoo open, Rollo enforces a new 'fierce creatures' policy, whereby only the most impressive and dangerous animals are allowed to remain in the zoo. However, the keepers are less enthusiastic about complying with these demands.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, absurd, black comedy, funny, clever, witty, sweet, dark comedy, romantic comedy
Similar in 85%
Year One (2009)
Plot Summary:
When a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers are banished from their primitive village, they set off on an epic journey through the ancient world.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 102000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: parody, funny, biblical, humorous, satirical, spoof, absurd, witty, not serious, slapstick
Similar in 89%
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Plot Summary:
A young neurosurgeon inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback, a pretty lab assistant and the elderly housekeeper. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather was delusional, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 167000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, funny, black and white, gothic, humorous, cult classic, slapstick, hilarious, horror comedy
Similar in 76%
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Plot Summary:
Cindy finds out the house she lives in is haunted by a little boy and goes on a quest to find out who killed him and why. Also, Alien "Tr-iPods" are invading the world and she has to uncover the secret in order to stop them.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 128000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: parody, funny, humorous, spoof, not serious, scary, suspense, slapstick, hilarious, horror comedy
Similar in 87%
Airplane! (1980)
Plot Summary:
Alcoholic pilot, Ted Striker has developed a fear of flying due to wartime trauma, but nevertheless boards a passenger jet in an attempt to woo back his stewardess girlfriend. Food poisoning decimates the passengers and crew, leaving it up to Striker to land the plane with the help of a glue-sniffing air traffic controller and Striker's vengeful former Air Force captain, who must both talk him down.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 255000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, absurd, funny, slapstick, cult classic, hilarious, light, humorous, slapstick comedy
Similar in 83%
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)
Plot Summary:
Fresh-faced young Michael Rimmer worms his way into an opinion poll company and is soon running the place. He uses this as a springboard to get into politics and in the mini-skirted flared-trousered world of 1970 Britain starts to rise through the Tory ranks.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 706
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: political, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious, biting, suspense, cult film
Similar in 90%
Brüno (2009)
Plot Summary:
Flamboyantly gay Austrian television reporter Bruno stirs up trouble with unsuspecting guests and large crowds through brutally frank interviews and painfully hilarious public displays of homosexuality.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: mockumentary, funny, parody, humorous, controversial, stylized, sex comedy, hilarious, sexual, absurd
Similar in 84%
The Dictator (2012)
Plot Summary:
The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 329000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: hilarious, parody, funny, absurd, humorous, entertaining, realistic, political, spoof, witty
Similar in 79%
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
Plot Summary:
In Luis Buñuel’s deliciously satiric masterpiece, an upper-class sextet sits down to dinner but never eats, their attempts continually thwarted by a vaudevillian mixture of events both actual and imagined.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Comedy
Country: France, Italy, Spain
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: surreal, disturbing, atmospheric, talky, humorous, art house, philosophical, satirical, absurd, meditative
Similar in 81%
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
Plot Summary:
Bourgeois convention is demolished in Luis Buñuel’s surrealist gem. Featuring an elegant soiree with guests seated at toilet bowls, poker-playing monks using religious medals as chips, and police officers looking for a missing girl who is right under their noses, this perverse, playfully absurd comedy of non sequiturs deftly compiles many of the themes that preoccupied Buñuel throughout his career—from the hypocrisy of conventional morality to the arbitrariness of social arrangements.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: surreal, humorous, art house, atmospheric, disturbing, meditative, talky, dark comedy, thought provoking, witty
Similar in 88%
Dogma (1999)
Plot Summary:
The latest battle in the eternal war between Good and Evil has come to New Jersey in the late, late 20th Century. Angels, demons, apostles and prophets (of a sort) walk among the cynics and innocents of America and duke it out for the fate of humankind.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 226000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: humorous, satirical, clever, witty, funny, dark comedy, entertaining, hilarious, parody, offbeat
Similar in 90%
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Plot Summary:
Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 434000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: mockumentary, absurd, humorous, controversial, funny, parody, dark comedy, satirical, slapstick, hilarious
Similar in 87%
The Milky Way (1969)
Plot Summary:
Two drifters go on a pilgrimage from France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along the way, they hitchhike, beg for food, and face the Christian dogmas and heresies from different Ages.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, Italy, West Germany
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: surreal, spiritual, road movie, psychedelic, satirical, dark comedy, cult classic, mystical, parody, philosophical
Similar in 86%
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Plot Summary:
A diamond advocate is attempting to steal a collection of diamonds, yet troubles arise when he realizes that he is not the only one after the diamonds.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 151000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: funny, dark comedy, black comedy, cult classic, humorous, light, satirical, dramatic, hilarious, feel good
Similar in 81%
Jabberwocky (1977)
Plot Summary:
A medieval tale with Pythonesque humour: After the death of his father the young Dennis Cooper goes to town where he has to pass several adventures. The town and the whole kingdom is threatened by a terrible monster called 'Jabberwocky'. Will Dennis make his fortune? Is anyone brave enough to defeat the monster?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, talky, exciting, surreal, cult classic, stylized, not serious, spoof, sexy
Similar in 75%
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Plot Summary:
King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way, Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as "it is a silly place".
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 563000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: absurd, humorous, surreal, parody, ironic, spoof, funny, slapstick, hilarious, dark comedy
Similar in 78%
Father Christmas Is Back (2021)
Plot Summary:
Four sisters – Caroline, Joanna, Paulina, and Vicky – reunite for the Christmas Holiday in a Yorkshire mansion. However, their estranged father, James, joins in for the first time since he left the family behind decades prior. The group attempts to get through the holiday despite comedic misunderstandings, while also uncovering the long-buried secret that tore their family apart, so many years ago.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: funny, feel good, humorous, captivating, entertaining, satirical, semi serious, happy, christmas comedy
Similar in 79%
Scary Movie (2000)
Plot Summary:
Following on the heels of popular teen-scream horror movies, with uproarious comedy and biting satire. Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth and Carmen Electra pitch in to skewer some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, including Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Matrix, American Pie and The Blair Witch Project.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 281000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: parody, funny, spoof, humorous, slasher, not serious, satirical, absurd, slapstick, teen
Similar in 76%
A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
Plot Summary:
Steve Coogan, an arrogant actor with low self-esteem and a complicated love life, is playing the eponymous role in an adaptation of "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" being filmed at a stately home. He constantly spars with actor Rob Brydon, who is playing Uncle Toby and believes his role to be of equal importance to Coogan's.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, talky, funny, ironic, semi serious, psychological, sincere, parody, surreal
Similar in 88%
Time Bandits (1981)
Plot Summary:
Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon before the Supreme Being catches up with them.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 67000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: humorous, surreal, light, mindfuck, colorful, dark fantasy, stylized, semi serious, visual, visually stunning