A Prairie Home Companion (2006) by Robert Altman
starring Garrison Keilllor, Meryl Streep & ensemble cast
In a nutshell: A slow-moving, beautiful, and appropriate swan song for Altman
A Prairie Home Companion is an adaptation of Garrison Keillor's beloved radio show. It centers around the final episode of a fictionalized version of the live radio show before its cancellation.
I hate to admit that I have only seen 2 Robert Altman movies: this and Gosford Park...and I don't remember much about Gosford Park. In fact I remember next to nothing about it (watched it during those college years that I often reference) except that nothing seemed to happen. Well, I do plan on rewatching Gosford Park eventually, but my point was that even though I don't remember anything about the film, that I was almost immediately able to recognize A Prairie Home Companion as a work of Altman's. His style is unmistakable; the camera seems to just float through scenes, capturing its surroundings, rather than capturing only a specific storyline. Every shot seems to pan very slowly, either around a room or following a character.
The movie is about death. Between the show ending, Lola's (Lindsay Lohan) poetry, the death of a character, and a mysterious woman who may be lethal, death is everywhere. Some people want to ignore it (Keillor), some people want to prepare for it (Streep). There is some fascinating dialogue between characters discussing how the show should handle its own death. Should the cast go out with a bang? Should they give a speech? Should they pretend like it isn't the final episode at all? The film does not give us answers, but makes us think about such things. Keillor has possibly my favorite line in the entire film when someone asks him "you don't want people to remember you?", he responds "I don't want people to be TOLD to remember me."
The themes of death in the film go deeper than I can discuss here, and death itself is even personified to some degree, but I won't spoil.
Fans of the radio show will not be disappointed, either. During breaks in the narrative, we cut to the various acts. I have never heard the real show, but, from what I have heard from fans, the movie remains very faithful to the spirit of it.
The performances are mostly top notch. The large ensemble cast features Keillor playing himself, Lily Tomlin and the incomparable Meryl Streep as a pair of singing sisters, Lindsay Lohan as Streep's daughter, John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson as a pair of singing/joking cowboys, Kevin Kline as a bumbling detective-type, Maya Rudolph as a stage manager, Tommy Lee Jones as a heartless businessman, and Virginia Madsen as the mysterious woman in white.
Kline's performance is both subtle and comedic. Both pairings, Tomlin/Streep and Reilly/Harrelson have perfect timing and chemstry together. In fact the entire cast seems to have chemistry. They make you believe that they have been performing together for years upon years. And individually, Streep is fantastic as well.
For those of you looking for a strong narrative, you will not find one here. We watch the characters react to the final show and perform their acts, but there is only a hint of a larger storyline. There are a few oddly placed gags, and a couple iffy line deliveries, but they are not enough to take away from the film. One must wonder if Altman concentrated on death so much because he was pondering his own mortality. Sure enough, he passed away shorty after making this film. It is a rare thing for a director to go out with a strong performance, but Altman surely does.
Despite being about death, the movie is not a downer. The characters love what they are doing so much that their joy is contageous.
My last comment is a recommendation to really pay attention while watching this movie. A lot of stuff going on in the background is worth paying attention to, and adds more layers to the film.
starring Garrison Keilllor, Meryl Streep & ensemble cast
In a nutshell: A slow-moving, beautiful, and appropriate swan song for Altman
A Prairie Home Companion is an adaptation of Garrison Keillor's beloved radio show. It centers around the final episode of a fictionalized version of the live radio show before its cancellation.
I hate to admit that I have only seen 2 Robert Altman movies: this and Gosford Park...and I don't remember much about Gosford Park. In fact I remember next to nothing about it (watched it during those college years that I often reference) except that nothing seemed to happen. Well, I do plan on rewatching Gosford Park eventually, but my point was that even though I don't remember anything about the film, that I was almost immediately able to recognize A Prairie Home Companion as a work of Altman's. His style is unmistakable; the camera seems to just float through scenes, capturing its surroundings, rather than capturing only a specific storyline. Every shot seems to pan very slowly, either around a room or following a character.
The movie is about death. Between the show ending, Lola's (Lindsay Lohan) poetry, the death of a character, and a mysterious woman who may be lethal, death is everywhere. Some people want to ignore it (Keillor), some people want to prepare for it (Streep). There is some fascinating dialogue between characters discussing how the show should handle its own death. Should the cast go out with a bang? Should they give a speech? Should they pretend like it isn't the final episode at all? The film does not give us answers, but makes us think about such things. Keillor has possibly my favorite line in the entire film when someone asks him "you don't want people to remember you?", he responds "I don't want people to be TOLD to remember me."
The themes of death in the film go deeper than I can discuss here, and death itself is even personified to some degree, but I won't spoil.
Fans of the radio show will not be disappointed, either. During breaks in the narrative, we cut to the various acts. I have never heard the real show, but, from what I have heard from fans, the movie remains very faithful to the spirit of it.
The performances are mostly top notch. The large ensemble cast features Keillor playing himself, Lily Tomlin and the incomparable Meryl Streep as a pair of singing sisters, Lindsay Lohan as Streep's daughter, John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson as a pair of singing/joking cowboys, Kevin Kline as a bumbling detective-type, Maya Rudolph as a stage manager, Tommy Lee Jones as a heartless businessman, and Virginia Madsen as the mysterious woman in white.
Kline's performance is both subtle and comedic. Both pairings, Tomlin/Streep and Reilly/Harrelson have perfect timing and chemstry together. In fact the entire cast seems to have chemistry. They make you believe that they have been performing together for years upon years. And individually, Streep is fantastic as well.
For those of you looking for a strong narrative, you will not find one here. We watch the characters react to the final show and perform their acts, but there is only a hint of a larger storyline. There are a few oddly placed gags, and a couple iffy line deliveries, but they are not enough to take away from the film. One must wonder if Altman concentrated on death so much because he was pondering his own mortality. Sure enough, he passed away shorty after making this film. It is a rare thing for a director to go out with a strong performance, but Altman surely does.
Despite being about death, the movie is not a downer. The characters love what they are doing so much that their joy is contageous.
My last comment is a recommendation to really pay attention while watching this movie. A lot of stuff going on in the background is worth paying attention to, and adds more layers to the film.
Rolling Rankings:
1. Pulp Fiction (#8)
1. Pulp Fiction (#8)
2. Napoleon Dynamite (#5)
3. Raising Arizona (#2)
4. A Prairie Home Companion (#11)
5. Grave of the Fireflies (#4)
6. The Illusionist (#9)
7. Dr. No (#7)
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (#3) 
9. Fahrenheit 9/11 (#10)
10. Heist (#6)
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