A Prairie Home Companion Review [2]
Posted by Matthew Craggs on 06.13.2006
A film so warm and fuzzy it makes me want to give Garrison Keillor a great, big hug.
Cast:
Woody Harrelson Dusty
Tommy Lee Jones Axeman
Garrison Keillor G.K.
Kevin Kline Guy Noir
Lindsay Lohan Lola Johnson
Virginia Madsen Dangerous Woman
John C. Reilly Lefty
Maya Rudolph Molly
Meryl Streep Yolanda Johnson
Lily Tomlin Rhonda Johnson
Marylouise Burke Lunch Lady
Picturehouse Entertainment presents a film directed by Robert Altman. Written by Garrison Keillor. Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG-13 for risque humor.
The best words I can use to describe A Prairie Home Companion, Robert Altman's latest effort, is one of a kind. Altman's film from Garrison Keillor's script let's the audience in on the last performance of the live radio show of the same name. This is a film about the end of an American institution that avoids clichés, is profound in its simplicity, and charms the audience more than any film of the past five years. It is this quiet picture is released in June, amidst superhero action movies and a third Fast and the Furious. Especially when one considers that the characters are stuck in the 1950s.
The film begins with ten minutes to showtime on the last performance. See, the radio station that airs the St. Paul musical variety show has been bought by a Texan company, and the Fitzgerald Theatre which houses the show is being torn down to make room for a parking lot. Host GK (Garrison Keillor, who hosts the real life Prairie Home Companion) lollygags about making small talk with singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty (Harrelson and Reilly). They talk about the past and the business. Who knows who, who did what, the details of Keillor's first program: an "inspirational" show airing at 5AM.
In another part of the building singing sisters Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Streep and Tomlin) get ready for the show. Yolanda's angst ridden daughter Lola (Lohan) sits by and writes poems about suicide. Meanwhile, Molly (Rudolph) the stage director, technical director, talent wrangler, whatever the devil her position is referred to as, tries to keep everyone on schedule.
The audience, and some of the performers, don't know this will be the last show. Keillor refuses to mention it because, to him, radio isn't about looking back, it's about looking forward. After one of the performers dies, Keillor says one of the wisest and most profound lines of the film. Lola asks Keillor, "Don't you want to be remembered?" Keillor responds, "I don't want anyone to be told to remember me."
Yes, there's even death in the picture, and I can say that without spoiling anything. It is treated not with drama but with a sensibility that would I, for one, wouldn't be capable of if I was in the presence of recently diseased. "The death of an old man is not a tragedy," Virginia Madsen says as the "Dangerous Woman."
The show goes off, but with a few minor kinks. Dusty and Lefty perform a song titled "Bad Jokes" after being warned to keep it clean so they can "go out with a little class." The segment is hilarious and could be the highlight of the picture. Lefty asks Dusty if they know who stole a shipment of Viagara. "They don't know, but they're on the lookout for hardened criminals."
Other highlights include Kevin Kline as the perfectly cast Guy Noir. Noir is head of security and speaks like a hard boiled film noir lead, and dresses like it as well. His narration bookends the film.
Eventually, the show wraps. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say it is an appropriate and satisfying ending.
Overall, A Prairie Home Companion works. It doesn't get stuck in cliches. In fact, one of the best qualities of the film is the absence of a "Who Will Save the Show?" narrative. There is brief mention to one but we quickly learn that Keillor and crew's time has come. The picture is about seizing the moment. The characters are far too old and wise to cling to some distant notion that a hero will come in and save the day. Sometime it isn't good to be so wise.
Now that I think about it, there isn't really a narrative. The characters have back stories that they talk about without hesitation, but Prairie Home is about sitting back and watching the show unfold. It's a character study, not a whodunit. The film would have lost its charm if it kept moving back to some wide eyed youngster who loves Prairie Home and finds a way to save the building at the last minute. Maybe the wide eyed youngster gets the building declared a historical landmark, or finds a zoning loophole that states the area can't be used a parking lot. That type of ending wouldn't work, because there is no place in this world for a show as quiet, charming, and warm as A Prairie Home Companion.
The 411: Will you enjoy A Prairie Home Companion? It depends. Every person fits into one of three categories. You either (A) think the skits, music, and warm feel of the program are graet; or (B) think the show is so uncool its cool; or (C) think the whole thing is lame. If you fit into category A, you will love the film. If you fit into category B you may like the film, but there is no irony so you may want to stay away. If you fit into category C nothing I can say will make you see this wonderful quiet, charming and funny film.
