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Monty Python's Life of Brian

Brian Cohen is born in a stable next door to Jesus, which initially confuses the three wise men who come to praise the future King of the Jews. He grows up into an idealistic young man who resents the continuing Roman occupation of Judea.

While listening to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Brian becomes infatuated with a young rebel named Judith Iscariot. His desire for her and hatred of the Romans, further exacerbated by his scolding mother, Mandy Cohen, revealing that Brian himself is half-Roman, inspire him to join the "People's Front of Judea" (PFJ). This is one of many fractious and bickering independence movements that spend more time fighting each other than the Romans.

PFJ leader Reg tasks Brian to paint slogans overnight on Roman governor Pontius Pilate 's palace, but a Roman officer catches him in the act. However, the officer shows more concern with Brian's Latin grammar than the act itself, and after correcting the slogan to " Romani ite domum ", orders him to write it on the wall one hundred times. Brian finishes after sunrise and is chased by guards before being rescued by Judith.

Reg gives a revolutionary speech to the PFJ asking, "What have the Romans ever done for us?" At this point the listeners outline all forms of positive aspects of the Roman occupation such as sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, public health and peace. He then outlines plans to kidnap Pilate's wife.

However, inside Pilate's palace, the PFJ encounters another revolutionary group, the Campaign for a Free Galilee; an argument ensues over who came up with the plan first and everyone except Brian is knocked unconscious, leading Brian to be captured by the palace guards. The guards bring Brian before Pilate, but his questioning is cut short when the guards laugh uncontrollably after Pilate mentions the name of his friend, Biggus Dickus, and his wife, Incontinentia Buttocks.

After escaping from the Romans, Brian is accidentally scooped up by a passing extraterrestrial spaceship that crash-lands back on Earth. He tries to blend in among prophets who are preaching in a busy plaza, repeating fragments of Jesus' sermons. He stops his sermon mid-sentence when some Roman soldiers depart, leaving his small but intrigued audience demanding to know more. Brian grows frantic when people chase him to the mountains, and there they declare him to be the Messiah.

After spending the night with Judith, Brian discovers an enormous crowd of followers assembled outside his mother's house. Her attempts at dispersing the crowd are rebuffed. Although Brian tells them they need to think for themselves and that they are all individuals, they ironically parrot his words as doctrine.

The PFJ seeks to exploit Brian's celebrity status by having him minister to a thronging crowd of followers demanding miracle cures. Brian sneaks out the back, only to be captured by the Romans and sentenced to crucifixion. In celebration of Passover, a crowd has assembled outside the palace of Pilate, who offers to pardon a prisoner of their choice as a show of friendship between the Romans and the people of Judea.

However, the crowd shouts out names containing the letter "r", to mock Pilate's speech impediment, and are further amused by his friend Biggus's lisp, which causes them to laugh uncontrollably. Eventually, Judith appears in the crowd, who frantically calls for the release of Brian, which the crowd (assuming it is another joke) parrots. Realising that one of the prisoners is really named Brian, Pilate agrees to "welease Bwian".

The guards eventually catch up to Brian, who is already on the cross. But in a scene that parodies the climax of the film Spartacus, various crucified people all claim to be Brian, and the wrong man is freed.

Brian is successively approached and then abandoned by the PFJ, who praise his martyrdom; the Judean People's Front, who commit mass suicide as a form of political protest; Judith; and his mother. As Brian sinks to despair, the convict beside him offers a cheerful song, which Brian and the other convicts join in with (" Always Look on the Bright Side of Life ").