Robert Altman might be 81 years old, but damn he still knows how to direct a big cast of characters in an entertaining movie. A Prairie Home Companion, his latest, is a simple, quirky little story with humor, emotion and an all around great cast.
Written by Garrison Keillor, the movie takes place, apart from the epilogue, all on one night, detailing the final show of a long-running radio show in St. Paul, Minnesota. The show isn't just based on Keillor's real radio show, it virtually is Keillor's real show, with down-home humor and lots of old songs. The only difference is that everyone playing anyone associated with the show is a star.
Narrating the movie is Kevin Kline's head of security, wannabe Private Detective, the aptly named Guy Noir. He dresses in a suit from the 1940s and talks like he's Sam Spade. When describing a woman he's seen, he says, "She was wearing a white coat that was so white, rain was too embarrassed to get it wet." And, "Her hair was what God had in mind when he said, 'Let there be hair'."
Tomlin and Streep play singing sisters who are both regulars on the show. They intersperse their songs with tales of the family, some dead now and all of them sad. Lohan plays Streep's daughter, a depressive creature who mopes about writing poems about death. Also on the show are a pair of singing cowboys played by Harrelson and Reilly. They're the writers of such songs as, "I'll give you my moonshine, if you show me your jugs." A sample of their lyrics, "Liquor she said, and lick her I did. And I don't work there anymore."
While all of this is funny and touching at times, it is Virginia Madsen who adds a touch of depth to the story when she appears as the woman in white, but who in reality is the angel of death. She hovers around for the evening, often interacting with the cast and crew. And it's not just the death of the show that she's come for.
At the heart of the movie, as he is at the heart of the radio show, is Keillor. Like a modern day Mark Twain, he spins his stories and jokes, of which he has one for every situation. He's like the uncle who can't stop telling stories, but unlike most uncles, his are actually funny and worth listening to.
Clocking in at way under 2 hours, A Prairie Home Companion moves quickly, despite not having much in the way of story and never flags or disappoints. Without any action or even a hint of real danger, it still manages to provide more entertainment than almost any of the summer blockbusters being released around it. At 81 years of age, Altman might not have too many movies left in him, but for all our sakes let's hope he has at least a few more like this one.
