Monty Python Live (Mostly)

The mere existence of a Python reunion after all this time is worth celebrating, and I can't say it wasn't cool to see the surviving members side-by-side on that stage, but the ensuing performance left a lot to be desired. Despite all efforts to imply the opposite, this largely felt like a troupe of rusty old-timers stammering their way through the material of their youth, minus the power, sincerity and resounding cultural relevance of their heyday. I snickered with some regularity, but that was mostly due to long-term appreciation rather than of-the-moment admiration. The whole show felt too polished and jazzy, a billion-dollar spit shine that stood at-odds with the quaint, elbow-greased character I'd grown to know and love. Dozens of forced, sharply unfunny dance sets padded out each costume change - of which there were many - and seemed to annoy even the cast members, who varied in mood from ecstatic (Terry Gilliam) to barely-bothered (John Cleese). The show wheeled out all the right skits, but the funniest bits were when the actors would flub a line and go off-script to needle each other. Disappointing.

I really wanted to get tickets to this but they were hugely expensive and very difficult to get hold of also I couldn't attend the 'live' cinema screening of the last night as we were on holiday. For both of these misfortunes I can now in hindsight be very glad.

A re-union after such a long time is always risky and likely to disappoint, just ask many rock bands that tried to re-capture the old magic, and the Pythons pretty much fail in the expected ways. They're old tired-looking men performing material written by bright energetic young men and it shows. In many of the routines they appear to be simply going through the motions, there's no energy or edge to the performances. The sharp comic timing is generally absent and instead there's heavy reliance on the good will of the audience enjoying the familiar favourites.

Eric Idle and his team did put together a cleverly constructed show, with big musical and dance numbers in a Python style to give the Pythons themselves time to change costumes and, presumably, have a little lie down.

Very little of it made me laugh out loud and the bits that did were generally the big-screen inserts showing famous sketches from the TV-era Python, such as Philosopher's Football, and their series of spoofs on the Olympics, the hundred yard dash for people with no sense of direction etc.

It was great that they included Carol Cleveland, the unofficial seventh Python and the only regular female performer in the shows and films, and there are a couple of funny cameos from Professors Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking at the end of one of the few bits that really did still work, Eric Idle's Galaxy Song from the film "The Meaning of Life". The Argument Sketch, the Dead Parrot Sketch and The Cheese Shop Sketch all worked pretty well as did "Nudge Nudge" but aside from that very little of it would have attracted a paying audience if it wasn't part of an established and historic team.

The DVD itself was badly let down by the appalling picture quality; it was often like watching something on YouTube! It was grainy and fuzzy in almost all the close-ups and I wonder if there had in fact been no close-up shots filmed and the close-up was just a computer- enhanced zoom in on an existing wide shot with the usual loss of resolution that this entails? If so then someone from the film production team needed firing.

For die-hard Python fans only, and even then you'd be better off watching "Life Of Brian" or "Holy Grail" again.

Yes, those are mostly well known famous sketches you probably know if you are a fan. Adapted and made more glamorous and spectacle for such enormous audience but the core is very well known. But it's never boring or unfunny and it was great to see old (now literally) guys together again. They still have it and they can still make me laugh. They still have the energy and big smiles, so why stop at any age?

Having watched a lot of the Monty Python sketches on TV as a kid, I have always had a particular fondness for the comedy from these English chaps. And the 2014 farewell show definitely is something you have to watch if you enjoy Monty Python.

With 45 years of comedy, the guys certainly have brought a lot of laughs to the audience throughout the years. And what works is the quirkiness of the sketches and their ability to take things a step further out than what you expect and still keep it hilarious and enjoyable.

And the six chaps, being John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Graham Chapman each brought something unique and funny to the troupe, giving the sketches their own personal and memorable touch. And that is what I enjoyed throughout the years.

It was good fun to watch the guy revisit old and classic sketches and songs in this 2014 show, and I will say that they went out with a bang, because "Monty Python Live (Mostly)" was great entertainment.

My rating of "Monty Python Live (Mostly)" lands on a six out of ten stars.

it's very hard to go wrong with these guys. they are the funniest comedy group ever! just got back from the live broadcast at my local theater and my only complaint was the sound. the echo was just awful. couldn't catch the lyrics to any of the songs that included more than one voice. wish the whole thing had been subtitled. the good news is that most of the classics are there. I was laughing out loud and clapping along with the rest of the audience. it was especially funny when the cast members messed up or laughed. I can't wait to own the DVD. I'll watch it again and again. hope they can clean up the sound though. MONTY PYTHON IS THE BEST!