Floating gracefully on to and off of the screen, a dreamy cotton-candy cloud, Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion is never less than charming and rarely more than featherweight entertainment. It’s a masterful piece of direction and cinematography (or more accurately, Hi-Def videography), applied to material that is hardly even there.
Musical numbers glide in and out, and they too are more charming than really good. I had a perfectly blissful time watching this movie, and you may too, if you keep your expectations in check.
The premise is that a Big Evil Corporation from Texas is taking over the radio station and/or the theater where the weekly radio variety hour is produced. We are watching the valedictory performance. The show actually seems a little anemic and underpopulated, but this doesn’t matter a great deal to the movie itself.
The performers seem understandably happy to be nestled in such a beautiful cinematic framework - actors love Altman and the feeling is obviously mutual. Meryl Streep and John C. Reilly are standouts, both playing singers in the radio show. Each is in a duet, and their partners, Lily Tomlin and Woody Harrelson respectively, are also plenty charming.
Your patience toward the plot device of a visiting angel in a white trenchcoat (she’s both a guardian of the company and a herald of death) may determine how much you like the movie as a whole. I rather enjoyed this part of the wispy script, written by Prairie Home radio creator/star Garrison Keillor himself. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it caused eye-rolling among some viewers.
At any rate, try to see the film in a theater with a big screen and good sound, and just bask in the gorgeous craftsmanship and the pleasant company the cast provides. You could do a lot worse.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Sounds like good ole Garrison is trying to cushion his future exit from the show - a second time - and make a mint in the process.
Gosh, I remember when I used to drive down to the World Theatre in St. Paul and get tickets with my ex and sit and watch live radio.
Fame ruins everythng, it seems...
2 - ll
this was a really good movie. had fun filming.