A Prarie Home Companion

A couple of weeks ago, I ventured across the river to the Midtown Cinema to see Robert Altman's newest film, "A Prarie Home Companion". I was optimistic entering the theatre, considering the cast that not only included GK himself, Garrison Keiler, but also Meryl Streep, Lindsey Lohan, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Lily Tomlin, Maya Rudolph (of SNL fame), and Kevin Kline. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

If you've ever listened to "A Prarie Home Companion" on NPR, or watched it on PBS, this movie just brings the show to life, and adds some backstage "drama". If you've never seen or heard the show before, you'll get just as much enjoyment out of it as the experienced viewer.

The film is somewhat narrated by Kline's character, Guy Noir, who sets some of the tone for the film. Basically, the premise is that this is the final show for the cast and that the theatre will be demolished a few days after the show ends. One would hope that the film would end with the bad guys (Tommy Lee Jones, in a small cameo role) would be triumphed over and the show will go on forever. However, this isn't the case. After the show ends, the theatre is demolished. Just like they said it would. This shouldn't be a surprise though. The angel of death is literally walking among them, almost as an omen to what lies ahead for the cast and crew of "A Prarie Home Companion". This angel does take an actual life at one point, an older man who has been with the show for a long time. She also returns at the very end at the diner, we assume to take another life, although that personality is never divulged. One would assume that an angel of death might be ugly, or not as attractive as she could be. On the contrary in this case. She is always dressed in bright white and is the beautiful Virginia Madsen. She is gentle and kind and helps the cast and crew face their final hours as members of this group. (Side note: This character is billed as "The Dangerous Woman". How interesting).

While not a musical, Prarie Home Companion is full of song. The singing, done by the people on screen (no Marnie Nixon here!), isn't perfect, but it's perfect for this setting. John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson are a dynamic duo with crude jokes about women, sex, and life in general. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin are excellent, but aren't they most of the time? Lindsey Lohan is quite good (I personally feel that she is underestimated in many reviews). She plays the dark and brooding (and hilarious) daughter of Meryl Streep. Personally, I just think everyone is pretty fantastic. I tend to trust Robert Altman's judgement on who he casts (M*A*S*H* anyone?).

Good film. Go see it.

In addition, if you enjoy the film, catch the radio show on Sunday's. It's intellegent and a gem of what radio was like in the early part of this century.