Admittedly, I was not at first enthused about seeing Robert Altman's last film "A Prairie Home Companion". Despite my passion for the director's work, I kept putting it off, as I just couldn't imagine myself enjoying a film that pays tribute to a Midwestern radio variety show. But upon viewing it, I realized how wrong my initial reaction was. I have always been a fan of Altman and now after this film, I can conclude that his body of work ended very much on a high note.
The film is truly a celebration of Garrison Keillor's radio program, also called "A Prairie Home Companion". It has been on the air since 1974 and the formula is pretty basic: Keillor and his performers tell stories and enact skits, all of which are surrounded by homey, laid back musical numbers.
Altman's film is based on a screenplay that Keillor himself wrote and while it is a fictionalized account of the real radio program, it uses many of the same elements. Keillor plays himself and in typical Altman fashion, a wonderful ensemble cast supports him. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin play the singing Johnson Sisters. John C. Reilly and Wood Harrelson provide the film's funniest moments as Dusty & Lefty, a singing cowboy duo. Lindsay Lohan, who normally makes me cringe is actually quite convincing as Streep's suicide obsessed daughter. Kevin Kline, who is at times way too over the top, plays Guy Noir, the security guard and Tommy Lee Jones is the Axe-Man sent to shut the show down.
The radio program includes a lot of improvisation and the film makes effective use of this technique as well. No one is better than Altman when it comes to orchestrating long takes where the camera effortlessly moves from one line of action to the next while simply observing. Some viewers find the overlapping dialogue annoying, but I personally like being forced to really listen. In fact, many of my favourite scenes in this film are the conversations that take place off-stage between performances.
Simply put, "A Prairie Home Companion" is a delight to watch. Other writers have said that this film will only appeal to those who are already fans of Keillor's program. Not True! Before this movie, I had but only heard of the radio show, and now, despite that fact, I am able to give the film a very high recommendation.
The film is truly a celebration of Garrison Keillor's radio program, also called "A Prairie Home Companion". It has been on the air since 1974 and the formula is pretty basic: Keillor and his performers tell stories and enact skits, all of which are surrounded by homey, laid back musical numbers.
Altman's film is based on a screenplay that Keillor himself wrote and while it is a fictionalized account of the real radio program, it uses many of the same elements. Keillor plays himself and in typical Altman fashion, a wonderful ensemble cast supports him. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin play the singing Johnson Sisters. John C. Reilly and Wood Harrelson provide the film's funniest moments as Dusty & Lefty, a singing cowboy duo. Lindsay Lohan, who normally makes me cringe is actually quite convincing as Streep's suicide obsessed daughter. Kevin Kline, who is at times way too over the top, plays Guy Noir, the security guard and Tommy Lee Jones is the Axe-Man sent to shut the show down.
The radio program includes a lot of improvisation and the film makes effective use of this technique as well. No one is better than Altman when it comes to orchestrating long takes where the camera effortlessly moves from one line of action to the next while simply observing. Some viewers find the overlapping dialogue annoying, but I personally like being forced to really listen. In fact, many of my favourite scenes in this film are the conversations that take place off-stage between performances.
Simply put, "A Prairie Home Companion" is a delight to watch. Other writers have said that this film will only appeal to those who are already fans of Keillor's program. Not True! Before this movie, I had but only heard of the radio show, and now, despite that fact, I am able to give the film a very high recommendation.