Monty Python 's Life of Brian is a 1979 comedy by Monty Python , which is about the life of Brian Cohen ( Graham Chapman ) , a young man born on the same night and the same street as Jesus Christ . Monty Python 's Life of Brian , also known as Life of Brian , is a 1979 British comedy film written , directed and largely performed by the Monty Python comedy team . It tells the story of Brian Cohen ( played by Graham Chapman ) , a young Jewish man who is born on the same day as , and next door to , Jesus Christ , and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah .