| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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In Keillor, Altman Makes A Great Companion
by Eric (movies profile)
Sep 7, 2007
21
of
26 people found this review helpful
There is something endearing about folk and grass-roots music that endures even in the most pop-degenerate times. I like to think that's what Robert Altman was thinking about when he decided to make a film adaptation of A Prairie Home Companion, the NPR radio show that plays all across the nation on lonesome Saturday nights. And with such an enigmatic ringleader as Garrison Keillor, how can you blame him? Prairie Home Companion is a dandy of a show and the film follows the same spirit and the same delight with complete abandon.
The story, per se, involves the final closing of the show after a 30-year-run in the Fitzgerald Theatre in Minnesota. The crew knows it's the end, so does the singers, and GK (Keillor playing himself) openly refuses to make mention of it. "Every show is your last show." he insists. But his words hold the very message that perhaps Altman is making as during this one last hurrah, people remember the great times that they had with their friends and loved ones and how this show kept them together. During performances, people move around backstage without much interference from security guard Guy Noir (Kevin Kline), who is on the lookout for a mysterious woman who has a secret of her own (Virginia Madsen). The performers include actual performers on the show as well as a couple of Cowboy singers (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly) who crack jokes more than songs and a sister act Rhonda and Yolanda Johnson (Lily Tomlin and Merryl Streep respectively), who act as GK's conscience. Yolanda's daughter (Lindsey Lohan) is in full angst-mode. Eventually, the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones) cometh to finalize the doom of the theatre (to put up a parking lot) and it's show.
But this film isn't pro-active like some of Altman's earlier works. It's introspective and more about enjoying things as they last. As Altman's own career is starting to head into the twilight, perhaps he has come full circle in his own philosophy as Keillor seems to in his. This all about characters, making the show itself one as well as it's theater another. These are bold moves in a film that doesn't flaunt boldness like a cheap date. The film doesn't so much move, but flow like a stream to it's end, not made up by points, but musical numbers which slide into each other. When I left this film, I wasn't so much excited, but euphoric.
My only beef with this film is that it has two faces: One being the true face of the show that is known and loved all across the country and the other being the slapstick and goofy side. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem, but in this film these two just don't mesh properly. There is this gap between the two that is never bridged properly, which causes a little confusion about things from time to time. But it still works, just not at maximum performance.
The performances, like all Altman films, are top notch, even those who have not worked on a film before (like Tom Keith's Sound FX guy, which actually steals the show in a great scene). Kline is slyfully funny playing the bumbling Noir with a keen sense of slapstick and attitude. Lohan, Streep, and Tomlin all just have a natural connection to each other in their scenes together. But the real cause for celebration is Keillor himself. I love how he plays himself with a kind of slack-toned eccentricity that makes him both feel welcoming and wise at times, even when doesn't show to be either. One of my favorite scenes is when he talks to Lola (Lohan) about how he knew her father (and just how her father met her mother was a result).
Garrison Keillor's script is just ripe for the Altman treatment as it probably didn't consist of a lot of heavy dialogue or grand-staging. There's a minimalist feel to this story that allows for the magic of character invention.
Robert Altman has made great classic films (Nashville, Short Cuts) and lesser works (Dr. T and the Women). With PHC, he plays on a style that is all his own, except that it's a little more loose than usual, and little more nostalgic than he's done before. This fits for the film as it rides through this night with a wink and a smile. And if this happens to be his last film (and let's hope not), he can bow out and know that there will never be another filmmaker like him (although Paul Thomas Anderson is definately trying).
But I must make mention of the film's music, which isn't filled with pop or iconic music. It's filled with the earthly sounds of American Folk that is a trademark for the radio show. Although Red River Valley is used, I don't think I have ever enjoyed that song more than I have here.
All in all, this is a great film that many people might not even try. I can understand, it has a limited taste, but for those that give it a chance, I think you'll find it has a sweet twang to it. Just like a good old-fashioned Saturday Night. |
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