Let me tell you this: the first time I watched this film, I don't think I laughed at it once. It seemed distant to me, a strange film that was sort of comical-looking, but it just plain didn't click with me. A few days later, I told someone I'd seen it, and then, for some reason, in description of it, it became utterly hilarious. And that's the way Monty Python seems to work. If you're not already initiated to the Monty Python style of humor, just go talk to someone who loves it, and suddenly you'll find yourself laughing like you've never laughed before. It's like the film just may be so brilliant that you need a little help to get you to realize that there's a joke, even with it glaring you directly in the eyes. The Python troupe, on top of that, plays it like they're in a period piece for most of the time -- throughout the film I don't believe a single one of them cracks more than the smallest smile. Of course, when I saw the film again, I was in stitches, and I am forever a Python fan. And while one of the most brilliant jokes I've ever seen doesn't appear in this film (it's in Monty Python's Meaning of Life, and it involved an animated leaf), there's definitely more than enough gut-busting Pythonesque madness here to sate your laughter or you might want to check for a pulse -- you may think you're going for a walk, but you're not fooling anyone.