A Prairie Home Companion

2006 Comedy

Acclaimed filmmaker Robert Altman (Short Cuts, Nashville) brings National Public Radio stalwart Garrison Keillor's long-running radio program to vivid life on the big screen in a intricately woven backstage fable centering on the final performance of a fictionalized version of his variety show. As if the result of some strange mass-media fluke, the popular radio program A Prairie Home Companion somehow managed to survive the television age to entertain its audience every Saturday night from the stage of the historic Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN. Week after week, hangdog host Garrison Keillor serves as unflappable emcee to an amiable hodgepodge of radio-friendly acts that include the likes of popular country duo Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin) and singing cowboys the Old Trailhands (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly). This is one show where the under-the-line antics are nearly as entertaining as the program itself, though, and in between the efforts of down-on-his-luck private dick and backstage doorkeeper Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) to discover the true identity of a mysterious blonde (Virginia Madsen) and aspiring teen singer Lola (Lindsay Lohan) to find her true voice before a live audience, there's still plenty of fun and mystery to be had at the old Fitzgerald before the final curtain falls on A Prairie Home Companion. more..

Director: Robert Altman

Starring: Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin

Reviews

  • What a lovely film this is, so gentle and whimsical, so simple and profound.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    29 November 2012

  • It's not a perfect movie, and it does not aspire to be a great one. It's just wonderful.

    Dana Stevens - The New York Times

    29 November 2012

  • Both magical and consistently joyous. The director, Robert Altman, and the writer, Garrison Keillor, have, against all odds, transmuted the fatigued public radio institution into a lovely fable about mortality, fleeting fame, fondness for the past and the ineffable beauty of life in the present.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    29 November 2012

  • Take a swig of this moonshine. There's magic in it.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    29 November 2012

  • What sustains the film is the performers' belief in their shaggy-dog selves, which is more than just talent - it's faith.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Robert Altman

    Berlin International Film Festival (2006)

  • Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film)

    Bodil Awards (2007)

     
  • Best Acting Ensemble

    Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2007)

     
  • Best Feature Film Casting - Comedy

    Casting Society of America (2006)

     
  • Best Screenplay, Adapted

    Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (2006)