A Prairie Home Companion - 6-06

By Clayton Davis

It’s another glorious hit for director, Robert Altman. A Prairie Home Companion is a magnificent story intertwined with beautiful symbolism and wonderful comedy. We are thrown into the finale of one of America’s most celebrated radio shows although out-dated seems to bring joy to all who hear and are a part of the show. Everything is great about this film; the beautiful cinematography by Edward Lachman, a previous Oscar nominee who lost big time for Far From Heaven. The costumes are a delight coming from Catherine Marie Thomas known for her Kill Bill costumes and there’s so much more. The shine of the film is in the performances. Altman brings each character to the definition of what screenwriter Garrison Keillor intended them to be.

The great ensemble is pitch perfect starting with the dynamic duo that is Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly who are a great combination of comedy and music. A lot of the laughs of the film come from this pair. Virginia Madsen brings a strong presence as the "Dangerous Woman" whose sole purpose is to bring mystery and humanity to the doomed radio show. Madsen is working well after her comeback in 2003’s Sideways and looking for roles that suit her rather than easy paycheck roles. Maya Rudolph portrays the pregnant "Molly," one of the stage managers who carries a bit more baggage than she’d like. Mary Louise Burke and L.Q. Jones are wife and husband, one of which is the Lunch Lady of the set and the other is "Chuck Akers" who gives an astounding final performance for his fans. Tommy Lee Jones is "Axeman," who purchases the building where the radio show is held in order to turn it into a parking lot. The standouts are from the veterans and a newcomer. Kevin Kline is "Guy Noir," a private investigator on the set who finds mystery and laughs in every frame that he’s in. Kline has been off the radar for a few years but has found a role that suits him beautifully. He has the best chance out of the male cast to make it to the shortlist. His screen time is used well and is a wonderful addition to the cast and gives it that perfect balance. Lindsay Lohan is "Lola Johnson," the daughter of "Yolanda Johnson" played stellar by the no less than brilliant, Meryl Streep. Lohan is a morose young woman/poet/songwriter trying to find a purpose in a world of fast moving times. Along with her upcoming Bobby, Lohan is really becoming a serious actress who brings a great presence to her roles. She is too new to the movie scene and doesn’t have that one scene that could get her to the Oscars but can find herself along with her other cast mates at a Screen Actors Guild ceremony.

The true revelation of this picture comes from Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin who have one of the best chemistry of two actors I’ve seen on film in a long time. The two play "Yolanda" and "Rhonda Adams," sisters who have performed together since their childhood and find themselves reminiscing about the good old days and special times with their mother. The shine is in their singing and fantastic dialogue. Streep has the best character depth of the pair and we find ourselves feeling the most for "Yolanda." Yolanda has ghosts in her closet ranging from her previous husband, the father of Lohan, to a past flame with "G.K.," the radio show host portrayed exquisitely by Garrison Keillor. Lily Tomlin plays the great counterpart to Streep as the threshold of the Adams family. It’s in her strength that she shines and becomes the heart and soul of the film. Her singing with Streep is one of the best moments of the picture and we cannot have found a better pair to make this film what it was born to be; a marvelous revelation of film making.

Oscar prospects are in the Best Picture category of course with a possible directing nomination for Robert Altman. The thing that hurts Altman the most is that he just got an Honorary Oscar last year but that same thing happened with Paul Newman. Supporting nominations for Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, and Lily Tomlin may be in order. Streep and Tomlin could both make it in unless there is a huge boost a women performance’s this year. Tomlin has never won which gives her the edge and Streep hasn’t been nominated in three years and that helps in Streep-language. A very likely nomination for Garrison Keillor in the adapted screenplay category will be in hand. Sound, sound editing, editing, score, and so forth can follow but with this early release date it will be a hard hurdle to jump. Crash pulled it off with an April release but Prairie doesn’t have the social significance or emotional impact to stay for a long time like Haggis' film did. Although, it does identify with older, veteran voters of the Academy which is a huge plus. This is now the frontrunner for Musical/Comedy slot at the Globes but we’ll see where it goes for the rest of the year with precursors and so.

Congratulations Altman on another wonderful experience that we all enjoyed despite age and generation.
Grade: ***1/2/****