The End of Radio Days:
Robert Altman made this Comedy / Drama / Variety Show based on the real-life radio program which is called..."A Prairie Home Companion". The real show's host Garrison Keillor, wrote the screenplay and played GK, the host in the movie. The movie depicts the final broadcast of the show. It will be canceled by a mega corporation that bought the radio station and the building will be torn down to give the space for the new parking lot. As always in Altman movie, a cast is terrific and includes Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, Virginia Madsen and Kevin Kline. There are many songs performed by the show regulars and I truly enjoyed singing by Streep and Tomlin as the sisters Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson. Their on-screen timing and delivery of the famous Altman's overlapping dialogs are one of the movie's greatest pleasures. Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), two cowboy singers making fun of each other with the deadly serious faces were hilarious and their never ending song "Bad Jokes" was a scream. I wanted them to be on the screen longer. I would not call "A Prairie Home Companion" one of the best Altman's movies - it is not. There were some characters and elements of plot that seemed either under-developed or not necessary. As much as I like Kevin Klein, his Private Eye working for the show, Guy Noir seemed out of place. Beautiful and mysterious woman in white (Virginia Madsen) brings to mind not just one but two movies, "Wings of Desire" and "City of Angels". Well, the appearance of an Angel during the last ever broadcast seems to be justified. Shows like people go through the circle of life from birth to death but sadly, Madsen has not much to play. Not as great as "Nashville", the last (and sadly it IS his last) Altman's movie dedicated to Country music is still charming and quirky and I am glad that I saw it.
Robert Altman made this Comedy / Drama / Variety Show based on the real-life radio program which is called..."A Prairie Home Companion". The real show's host Garrison Keillor, wrote the screenplay and played GK, the host in the movie. The movie depicts the final broadcast of the show. It will be canceled by a mega corporation that bought the radio station and the building will be torn down to give the space for the new parking lot. As always in Altman movie, a cast is terrific and includes Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, Virginia Madsen and Kevin Kline. There are many songs performed by the show regulars and I truly enjoyed singing by Streep and Tomlin as the sisters Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson. Their on-screen timing and delivery of the famous Altman's overlapping dialogs are one of the movie's greatest pleasures. Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), two cowboy singers making fun of each other with the deadly serious faces were hilarious and their never ending song "Bad Jokes" was a scream. I wanted them to be on the screen longer. I would not call "A Prairie Home Companion" one of the best Altman's movies - it is not. There were some characters and elements of plot that seemed either under-developed or not necessary. As much as I like Kevin Klein, his Private Eye working for the show, Guy Noir seemed out of place. Beautiful and mysterious woman in white (Virginia Madsen) brings to mind not just one but two movies, "Wings of Desire" and "City of Angels". Well, the appearance of an Angel during the last ever broadcast seems to be justified. Shows like people go through the circle of life from birth to death but sadly, Madsen has not much to play. Not as great as "Nashville", the last (and sadly it IS his last) Altman's movie dedicated to Country music is still charming and quirky and I am glad that I saw it.