Terry Jones, as Brian’s mother.
There are a couple of topics you rarely see tackled in the world of comedy. They’re simply too dangerous, too inflammatory, too likely to piss someone off.
Cancer is one of them. When was the last time you heard a cancer joke? About the only time you hear anyone make a crack about cancer is when the joketeller happens to be a victim of the disease.
John Kruk, the television baseball analyst who was much funnier during his playing career, pulled this off. Kruk was a victim of testicular cancer and had one of his removed in surgery. Legend has it, Kruk later wore a t-shirt that said “If they don’t let me play, I’ll take my ball and go home.” Of course, even Kruk has his limits, as you’ll find in this article.
Another topic you don’t see blasted all over Comedy Central is rape, and it’s easy to undestand why. It’s simply a horrible crime, and to make a joke about it is risking offending many. The basketball coach Bob Knight found that out with an ill-advised comment he made in an interview with Connie Chung. (Shocking, I know).
But somehow, the legendary British Comedy troupe Monty Python pulled it off in their movie Life of Brian. The movie is a brilliant satire predominantly about religion, set in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. The film follows the adventures of Brian, who is inadvertently swept up in the locals’ desire to find the true “Messiah.”
In the scene in question, Brian is railing about the oppression his people suffer at the hands of the Romans, whom he abhors. His mother, played by a hilarious Terry Jones in drag, grows uncomfortable and decides there is something Brian must know about he father.
“He was a Roman, Brian,” she says. “He was a Centurion in the Roman army.”
Brian’s jaw drops in shock and disgust. “You mean, you were raped?” He asks, furious.
Brian’s mother, caught off guard, looks sheepish, and hems and haws, answering:
“Well … at first.”
When I heard the line for the first time, I was stunned, my mouth wide open. Then I couldn’t help myself, and I burst into laughter. Before long I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, as Brian’s mother goes on to remember her interlude fondly, and reveals that Brian’s father’s name was (of course) Nauteous Maximus.
You can watch the scene below (it’s about five minutes into the clip). And when you pick yourself up off the floor, try to imagine anyone EVER pulling off that joke successfully again. I don’t see it happening.
