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Life of Brian poster

Movies that feel likeLife of Brian (1979)

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.

If you loved Life of Brian, the closest films we have are Trading Places (1983), Lost in America (1985) and The Producers (1968). All three share Life of Brian's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is I'm All Right Jack (1959).

πŸ… 96% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Terry Joneswittyplayfuldarkly funny
10 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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If Life of Brian hit the spot, these will too

Trading Places poster
Trading Places
1983 Β· dir. John Landis
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.5comedy

Common ground: satire

A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Lost in America poster
Lost in America
1985 Β· dir. Albert Brooks
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7comedy

Both are built on the same subject: satire

David and Linda Howard are successful yuppies from LA. When he gets a job disappointment, David convinces Linda that they should quit their jobs, liquidate their assets, and emulate the movie Easy Rider, spending the rest of their lives traveling around America...in a Winnebago.

The Producers poster
The Producers
1968 Β· dir. Mel Brooks
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.5comedy

The same mix in both: wit, then play

A conniving Broadway producer and his meek accountant plan to profit from charming wealthy old biddies to invest in an overbudget production, and then put on a sure-fire disaster, so nobody will ask for their money back β€” and what's more disastrous than a tasteless musical celebrating Adolf Hitler.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail poster
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
1975 Β· dir. Terry Jones
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8.2adventure Β· comedy Β· fantasyPrime VideoPeacock

Terry Jones directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

The difference: Leans harder into adventure than Life of Brian does

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".

Office Space poster
Office Space
1999 Β· dir. Mike Judge
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.6comedyParamount+

Darkly funny comedy in both cases

The difference: Made in the 1990s, in a different era of the craft

A depressed white-collar worker tries hypnotherapy, only to find himself in a perpetual state of devil-may-care bliss that prompts him to start living by his own rules, and hatch a hapless attempt to embezzle money from his soul-killing employers.

I'm All Right Jack poster
I'm All Right Jack
1959 Β· dir. John Boulting
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.1comedy

Both lean on wit more than on comedy

Naive Stanley Windrush looks for a career in a family business. Much to his dismay, he finds work at a munitions factory where he has to start from the bottom, while both the management and the labor union use him as a tool in their fight for power.

Drop Dead Gorgeous poster
Drop Dead Gorgeous
1999 Β· dir. Michael Patrick Jann
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6.7comedy

Comedy built on play, twice over

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

In a small Minnesota town, the annual beauty pageant is being covered by a TV crew. Former winner Gladys Leeman wants to make sure her daughter follows in her footsteps; explosions, falling lights, and trailer fires prove that. As the Leemans are the richest family in town, the police are pretty relaxed about it all. Despite everything, main rival (but sweet) Amber Atkins won't give up without a fight.

The Ruling Class poster
The Ruling Class
1972 Β· dir. Peter Medak
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.2comedy Β· dramaMax

A streak of dark humor through both

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Life of Brian does

When the Earl of Gurney dies in a cross-dressing accident, his schizophrenic son, Jack, inherits the Gurney estate. Jack is not the average nobleman; he sings and dances across the estate and thinks he is Jesus reincarnated. Believing that Jack is mentally unfit to own the estate, the Gurney family plots to steal Jack's inheritance. As their outrageous schemes fail, the family strives to cure Jack of his bizarre behavior, with disastrous results.

Scary Movie poster
Scary Movie
2000 Β· dir. Keenen Ivory Wayans
πŸ… 52%β˜… 6.3comedyParamount+Peacock

One thread runs through both: parody

A familiar-looking group of teenagers find themselves being stalked by a more-than-vaguely recognizable masked killer! As the victims begin to pile up and the laughs pile on, none of your favorite scary movies escape the razor-sharp satire of this outrageously funny parody!

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan poster
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.4comedyPrime Video

Both sit in the same witty register

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.

Withnail & I poster
Withnail & I
1987 Β· dir. Bruce Robinson
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.5comedy Β· dramaMax

The shared currency is play

Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.

Blazing Saddles poster
Blazing Saddles
1974 Β· dir. Mel Brooks
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.7western Β· comedy

Both keep coming back to the same thing: parody

Crafty railroad worker Bart becomes the first Black sheriff of Rock Ridge, a frontier town about to be destroyed in order to make way for a new railroad. Initially, the citizens of Rock Ridge harbor a racial bias toward their new protector. However, they warm to him after realizing that Bart and his perpetually drunk gunfighter friend Jim are their only defense against a wave of thugs sent to rid the town of its population.

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The best-reviewed films that share Life of Brian’s defining feeling.