# What is the best film by Terry Gilliam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028 "2011-10-18T12:48:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![projectmolcos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@projectmolcos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/projectmolcos)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/1 "2011-10-18T12:48:29Z")
The above question says it all! Will reveal my choice after a few replies (if any!) ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/2 "2011-10-18T12:53:14Z")
12 Monkeys, Holy Grail, Brazil, in that order. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/3 "2011-10-18T12:53:17Z")
I love **Brazil**. What a fabulously dark dystopia, with still-relevant musings on bureaucracy, computer glitches, looking younger, terrorism and mistaken identity, and what turns out to be the best possible ending in that kind of a world. And the cast is fantastic. I think Gilliam generally does amazing work, so it’s hard to choose, but that’s always the one that tops my list. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/4 "2011-10-18T12:53:31Z")
Brazil, hands down. Also love Baron Munchausen. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/5 "2011-10-18T12:56:43Z")
Holy Grail. Definitely Holy Grail. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/6 "2011-10-18T13:09:38Z")
12 Monkeys, Brazil, Holy Grail. Genius. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/7 "2011-10-18T13:14:42Z")
I couldn’t decide, so I went with a rule of thumb I live by: when in doubt, go with the Monty Python option. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/8 "2011-10-18T13:27:58Z")
I’m not counting Holy Grail, as it is kind of a group effort. I voted Munchausen. Love that movie. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/9 "2011-10-18T13:35:13Z")
**Holy Grail**. I think all the rest of them suck, but that’s just me. Gilliam just isn’t the kind of director that appeals to my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/10 "2011-10-18T14:04:40Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > 12 Monkeys, Holy Grail, Brazil, in that order. Those, but in the reverse order. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/11 "2011-10-18T14:10:41Z")
12 Monkeys, by far. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/12 "2011-10-18T14:11:09Z")
Fear and Loathing. Yeah, I’m the guy that liked that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/13 "2011-10-18T14:15:34Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Fear and Loathing. > > Yeah, I’m the guy that liked that movie. I haven’t voted, but I also like _Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas_. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/14 "2011-10-18T14:23:51Z")
Tough choice, but I went with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. I wonder what it would’ve been like if Heath hadn’t died; certainly different, but not necessarily a better movie. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/15 "2011-10-18T14:26:16Z")
**Holy Grail** is one of the greatest comedies of all time, but I give the edge to **12 Monkeys** because of its sophistication and ambiguous ending. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/16 "2011-10-18T14:26:59Z")
Havent seen the last two, but I’d hesitate between \*\*Time Bandits \*\*and **Fear and Loathing**. ---
**Author:** ![cordylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@cordylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cordylus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/17 "2011-10-18T15:06:37Z")
I hope you all filed a B32/6 before voting. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/18 "2011-10-18T15:35:51Z")
Get ready for some blasphemy. While I loved \*Holy Grail \*when it first came out, I saw it again recently. It really isn’t that good! I blame the production values: they were too \*good \*for all the low-rent comedy, and the clash just made it not work. It worked great on BBC video, and worked great in Spamalot! on stage with cheesy sets and costumes, but just doesn’t translate to a feature film. My vote was for _12 Monkeys_. It’s the only one of those films that “stayed with me” all these years. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/19 "2011-10-18T15:44:55Z")
I think 12 Monkeys and Brazil are about equal. Holy Grail is about the funniest movie I’ve ever seen, but since he’s only co-director, I didn’t count it. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028/20 "2011-10-18T15:53:54Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m not counting Holy Grail, as it is kind of a group effort. > > I voted Munchausen. Love that movie. Same here, exactly. Also like Jabberwocky, Time Bandits and Dr Parnassus. Can’t remember Brazil to say, but I did enjoy it. The others, either I didn’t see (everything from Fear and Loathing forward that’s not TIoDP), or wasn’t impressed with (12 Monkeys and The Fisher King) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-film-by-terry-gilliam/600028.md?page=2)