Netflix Fantasy Comedy Classic Is The Most Quotable Movie Ever

Usually when you review any kind of media—be it movie, TV show, novel, or video game—you’ve got to give some sense of the plot and yes, I’ll do that here, but Monty Python and the Holy Grail is an interesting case because the plot makes about as much sense as a coconut-laden swallow.

The late Graham Chapman plays King Arthur, while future Oscar-nominated filmmaker Terry Gilliam plays his faithful coconut-slapping Patsy (no one rides horses in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, they bang coconuts). The pair are visited by God, who sets them on the quest to find the Holy Grail.

Arthur is soon joined by such legendary figures as Sir Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones), Sir Galahad (Michael Palin), and of course Sir Not Appearing In This Film.

The challenges faced by the knights of Monty Python and the Holy Grail are just as silly as the knights themselves, if not sillier.

Arthur faces the Black Knight, a fierce opponent who loses more limbs than Anakin Skywalker and yet seems incapable of acknowledging it. There are the Knights Who Say “Ni!” and their escalating demands. There are French invaders who fling insults almost as well as they fling cows, there’s a tower full of naughty temptresses, and of course there are matchmaking lords who are bad at picking spots for building castles.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is absolutely the most quotable movie in the history of anything to appear on the big screen.

Bring out your dead. It’s just a flesh wound. Run away! I got better. She’s got huge… tracts of land. Your parents smell of elderberry. There are some who call me… Tim.

Back when things like the Lord of the Rings and Star Trek and Dungeons & Dragons and so many other nerd landmarks were relegated to conventions and online chat rooms, Monty Python and the Holy Grail was mandatory in such circles.

If you said something like “And there was much rejoicing” in a crowded gaming convention and someone didn’t understand the reference, it would be a like someone watching the World Series and waiting for the big touchdown.

Spinning out of the absurd comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Monty Python and the Holy Grail wound up being just the first of a long list of acclaimed feature films directed by Terry Gilliam–though it was co-directed by Terry Jones.

It has since become a cultural touchstone not just in the United Kingdom, but in the United States. Among other things it spawned the stage musical Spamalot, which does its best to recreate the absurdity of the film.

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Monty Python and the Holy Grail is currently streaming on Netflix. There is no bad time to watch this hilarious classic.