A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION Hope, happiness, protection, and caring guidance. These are the things we find that the Angel of Death provides to her victims at their final hour. A distraction from the oncoming doom that consequentially enlightens the dying man to realize what he fears is in actuality nothing much to worry about. And judging by how much fun Robert Altman's A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION is, it is clear that the Angel of Death's presence at the final performance of the classic radio show has filled all it's characters with that happy sense of distraction.
Even though Robert Altman's latest piece takes place at the closing of an era... it's a refreshing film that shows ends don't have to mean anything if you don't want them to. They can simply be the happy thing that they've always been since the beginning. As Garrison Keillor begins his final radio performance of "A Prairie Home Companion" before the theater is closed down... we see it's apparent this is a performance that will get no special treatment. All it's performers still manage to be late for cues, disobey rules, and bicker on-stage because, well, that's what "A Prairie Home Companion" is.
It's hard to waive the allure of trying to figure out a deeper meaning in Altman's film because the presence of Virginia Madsen as the Angel of Death is such a jarringly radical idea to include in the proceedings. It seems to hint at bigger ideas and complicated messages... however, Altman uses such a distractingly odd character in a way that only reinforces the simplicity of the story. The Angel of Death exists to provide comfort, and simple distraction in times of depressing situations... and that's exactly what the performers in "A Prairie Home Companion" have done all these years leading up to the final performance.
The performers include the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep & Lilly Tomlin), Dusty & Lefty (Woody Harrelson & John C. Reilly), and Garrison Keillor himself... and the film is merely a visual capture of the radio show. All the flaws are there but so is all the heart. And it's a simple pleasure to watch... whether it's the laugh out loud crude humor of Dusty & Lefty's "Bad Jokes" or it's the touchingly sincere performance Yolanda Johnson (Meryl Streep, 100% believable as always) offers in memory of her mother.
Altman's A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION never reaches heights of greatness because it never seems to aim for it. It seems to enjoy itself as a a piece of genuine entertainment that doesn't particularly care if it is remembered or not in the end... so long as people enjoyed it while it was there. In one important scene, Yolanda's daughter Lola (played by Lindsay Lohan, who never stands out but blends well with the incredible cast) asks Keillor why he won't create a moment to honor the final performance and Keillor responds, "I don't want to ask to be remembered." A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION doesn't ask it's audience to remember it, it simply hopes they enjoy themselves. And like the Angel of Death that looms over the theater, as this Mid-Western staple comes to an end we are guided through the final moments with sensitivity, compassion, joy and sincerity. Sure the film is flawed and it under-uses certain actors while overusing others... but aside from that, it's hard to dislike a film that seems to just want to be enjoyed.
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION might not go down in history as Robert Altman's crowning achievement... and it might not even be remembered in 10 years. But like the radio show, at least it keeps it's audience happy while it's around, and that's more then enough.
... B+ ...
Even though Robert Altman's latest piece takes place at the closing of an era... it's a refreshing film that shows ends don't have to mean anything if you don't want them to. They can simply be the happy thing that they've always been since the beginning. As Garrison Keillor begins his final radio performance of "A Prairie Home Companion" before the theater is closed down... we see it's apparent this is a performance that will get no special treatment. All it's performers still manage to be late for cues, disobey rules, and bicker on-stage because, well, that's what "A Prairie Home Companion" is.
It's hard to waive the allure of trying to figure out a deeper meaning in Altman's film because the presence of Virginia Madsen as the Angel of Death is such a jarringly radical idea to include in the proceedings. It seems to hint at bigger ideas and complicated messages... however, Altman uses such a distractingly odd character in a way that only reinforces the simplicity of the story. The Angel of Death exists to provide comfort, and simple distraction in times of depressing situations... and that's exactly what the performers in "A Prairie Home Companion" have done all these years leading up to the final performance.
The performers include the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep & Lilly Tomlin), Dusty & Lefty (Woody Harrelson & John C. Reilly), and Garrison Keillor himself... and the film is merely a visual capture of the radio show. All the flaws are there but so is all the heart. And it's a simple pleasure to watch... whether it's the laugh out loud crude humor of Dusty & Lefty's "Bad Jokes" or it's the touchingly sincere performance Yolanda Johnson (Meryl Streep, 100% believable as always) offers in memory of her mother.
Altman's A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION never reaches heights of greatness because it never seems to aim for it. It seems to enjoy itself as a a piece of genuine entertainment that doesn't particularly care if it is remembered or not in the end... so long as people enjoyed it while it was there. In one important scene, Yolanda's daughter Lola (played by Lindsay Lohan, who never stands out but blends well with the incredible cast) asks Keillor why he won't create a moment to honor the final performance and Keillor responds, "I don't want to ask to be remembered." A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION doesn't ask it's audience to remember it, it simply hopes they enjoy themselves. And like the Angel of Death that looms over the theater, as this Mid-Western staple comes to an end we are guided through the final moments with sensitivity, compassion, joy and sincerity. Sure the film is flawed and it under-uses certain actors while overusing others... but aside from that, it's hard to dislike a film that seems to just want to be enjoyed.
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION might not go down in history as Robert Altman's crowning achievement... and it might not even be remembered in 10 years. But like the radio show, at least it keeps it's audience happy while it's around, and that's more then enough.
... B+ ...