A Prairie Home Companion
I must say that I was not impressed with the trailer for this film but I wanted to see it anyway because of Robert Altman, Garrison Keillor and the cast. I was pleasantly surprised because the trailer doesn't do the film justice.
The story is based on Keillor's long running radio show of the same name. It is folksy, corny, old-fashioned and warm. Keillor plays himself and he is a man who (at least in the film) has trouble showing any emotion. The show is performed live every Saturday night at the Fitzgerald Theater but this is the last show. A huge corporation located in Texas has bought the theater and is going to make it into a parking lot.
The film is narrated by Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) who is the security guard at the theater. There are a number acts that perform this night and they include the Johnson Sisters (Yolanda played by Meryl Streep and Rhonda played by Lily Tomlin) as well as the cowboy duo of Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly). Yolanda's depressed daughter Lola (Lindsay Lohan) even takes to the microphone later on in the show. There is also a mysterious woman in white hanging out at the theater (Virginia Madsen) who appears to be an angel. Towards the end of the show the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones), who represents the corporation, comes to the theater. He is anxious for the show to be over. The fact that he was religious, from Texas and not much of an intellectual (he didn't know who F. Scott Fitzgerald was) is not just a coincidence.
Altman does a terrific job of directing his large cast. He has a knack for being able to work with ensembles (Nashville and Gosford Park, which were also ensemble pieces, are among his best films). Keillor's screenplay is intelligent and has a great deal of wit and heart. The whole cast is good with special kudos going to Streep and Kline. And I loved the music. Some of it made me laugh (the bad joke song that Dusty and Lefty sang) and some brought tears to my eyes (Red River).
This film is not a masterpiece but it is very good. Some have called it "minor" Altman but even "minor" Altman is better than a great deal of what is out there today. In a recent interview Altman said that the film is about death. And it is. But not just physical death (although there is some of that in the film). It is about the death of a way of life that used to be but no longer exists. It is obvious that Altman does not like this modern, technologically driven, 24/7 world (neither do I) and in a scene at the end of the film he makes it very clear (watch Lindsay Lohan's character Lola). Altman is 81 and I know that he has had some health problems. I do hope that he still has a few more films left in him because there is no one else like him out there today. In his review in The New York Times A.O. Scott said that the film might not be great but that it was wonderful. And it truly is.
The story is based on Keillor's long running radio show of the same name. It is folksy, corny, old-fashioned and warm. Keillor plays himself and he is a man who (at least in the film) has trouble showing any emotion. The show is performed live every Saturday night at the Fitzgerald Theater but this is the last show. A huge corporation located in Texas has bought the theater and is going to make it into a parking lot.
The film is narrated by Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) who is the security guard at the theater. There are a number acts that perform this night and they include the Johnson Sisters (Yolanda played by Meryl Streep and Rhonda played by Lily Tomlin) as well as the cowboy duo of Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly). Yolanda's depressed daughter Lola (Lindsay Lohan) even takes to the microphone later on in the show. There is also a mysterious woman in white hanging out at the theater (Virginia Madsen) who appears to be an angel. Towards the end of the show the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones), who represents the corporation, comes to the theater. He is anxious for the show to be over. The fact that he was religious, from Texas and not much of an intellectual (he didn't know who F. Scott Fitzgerald was) is not just a coincidence.
Altman does a terrific job of directing his large cast. He has a knack for being able to work with ensembles (Nashville and Gosford Park, which were also ensemble pieces, are among his best films). Keillor's screenplay is intelligent and has a great deal of wit and heart. The whole cast is good with special kudos going to Streep and Kline. And I loved the music. Some of it made me laugh (the bad joke song that Dusty and Lefty sang) and some brought tears to my eyes (Red River).
This film is not a masterpiece but it is very good. Some have called it "minor" Altman but even "minor" Altman is better than a great deal of what is out there today. In a recent interview Altman said that the film is about death. And it is. But not just physical death (although there is some of that in the film). It is about the death of a way of life that used to be but no longer exists. It is obvious that Altman does not like this modern, technologically driven, 24/7 world (neither do I) and in a scene at the end of the film he makes it very clear (watch Lindsay Lohan's character Lola). Altman is 81 and I know that he has had some health problems. I do hope that he still has a few more films left in him because there is no one else like him out there today. In his review in The New York Times A.O. Scott said that the film might not be great but that it was wonderful. And it truly is.
posted by Film Fanatic | 1:46 PM
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