A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

Wonderful character development!

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

I had no idea what I was getting into with this odd yet cozy little portrayal of an American icon. I expected the dialogue to be smart, the characters to be memorable, the humor to be sharp, & the music to be wonderful, & that was all fulfilled. However, the almost nihilistic existentialism that pervades the surprising fantasy elements threw me for a loop; I can't decide if they were misguided overreaches or acutely genius. Either way, I loved this movie, & I think it will only benefit from multiple viewings.

This is a charming wonderful film about the last night of a radio show before it goes off the air forever. There is a sort of sweet sadness and memory of older times that hangs over the performers, as they reminisce about their lives. The camera weaves back and forth, letting the actors do their thing, without any chopping editing. The radio show is country/folk music themed, so there is plenty of good music to be had. Much of the inner workings of the show are revealed. We get to know the characters almost too well, with all their individual quirks and personalities. There's Guy Noir, who seems like he's from a Film Noir. And the Johnson sisters with all their emotional baggage. There's Dusty and Lefty, two cowboys; hillbillies and proud of it. You get the picture. All their interactions are golden. Yet, underneath the lively music and warmhearted people, there is an undercurrent of death. Because that's what the movie's about, when it comes right down to it. It's about things coming to a close. There are so many references to death in the movie. It shows how large a role death plays in these people's lives. This is personified in an angel who wanders around the proceedings. Even the young people are affected: Lindsay Lohan's character writes poems about suicide. So how can a film with such strong and serious themes be also so joyous and uplifting? That's the magic of it. It was Robert Altman's last film; he died shortly after the making of it, and he probably knew that he would. I think this is his parting gift to us. We should cherish this gem.

Originally published on June 9, 2006:The pairing of Robert Altman ("M*A*S*H," "The Long Goodbye," "Come Back To The Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean," "The Player," "Gosford Park") and Garrison Keillor, the creator of the long-running radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion" (and author of "Lake Wobegone Days") for a film version of PHG may have seemed a bit odd at first, but the results are inspired.The former's frantic, non-stop dialogue-fueled energy mixes well with the latter's laid-back, down-home, almost sleep-inducing style (with a voice so syrupy you could pour it over your flapjacks), to create Altman's best ensemble work since 1975's "Nashville." In fact, there's a lot of that classic film in this telling of PHC's last night on the air.There's also some of "Waiting For Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind" vibe in the mix, making this film a parody and a homage all at the same time.Narrated by Kevin Kline (who plays security officer Guy Noir, complete with a decades old pinstriped suit), like Bogart's Sam Spade in any number of 1940s detective films, "Companion" weaves a fascinating tale of a radio variety show that should have "died 50 years ago; only no one told" the performers. Now, with a Texas corporation buying station WLT in St. Paul (the bloodsuckers represented by Mr. Axeman - Tommy Lee Jones, "Men In Black II"), and planning to shut it down, this is its last Saturday night performance.And what a bittersweet performance it is. Down home homilies, songs of faith, banjo and guitar pickers, sweet harmonics, a torch song or two, a pair of hilarious cowboys, Dusty and Lefty (Oscar nominees Woody Harrelson, "The People vs. Larry Flint" and John C. Reilly, "Chicago"), the singing Johnson sisters (Meryl Streep and "Nashville" vet, Lily Tomlin, the latter almost sure to get her second Academy Award nomination for this role), and commercial messages (for shoes, herring, rhubarb pie filling, coffee and powder-milk biscuits) that are blatantly ridiculous (yet oddly persuasive) - all presided over by Keillor's gentle ringmaster. By the way, even though he's basically playing himself, Keillor's performance is marvelous, as are all of the actors.These warm moments balanced out Altman's silly subplot of an Angel of Death (Virginia Madsen, "Candyman," "Sideways") who visits the set of that last episode, giving the entire enterprise a rather unnecessary otherworldly feel. I could have done without these distracting sequences, but they do not interfere with the overall work - too much.Nevertheless, with some powerful performances, some great tunes and skits (the bad joke song by Dusty and Lefty is the funniest thing I've seen on the screen in a long time), the crisp writing Altman and Keillor are known for, and an interesting storyline, "A Prairie Home Companion" is well-worth the effort to see (even though you may have to go a bit out of your way to do so). It's moving at times, and a bit surreal in places, but overall a thoroughly enjoyable slice of Americana.

Featured Members Of Guy's All-Star Shoe BandRichard Dworsky - piano, organ, keyboard, band leader Pat Donohue - guitar Gary Raynor - bass Andy Stein - violin, saxophone Peter Johnson - drums, percussion Richard Kriehn - fiddle, banjo Butch Thompson - clarinet Peter Ostroushko - mandolin Arnie Kinsella - steel drums Randy Sandke - trumpet Vince Giordano - bass saxophone, tuba Jearlyn Steele - gospel vocalsActors:Sue Scott Tim Russell Erica RhodesFoley Artists:Tom Keith Fred Newman