Film reviews: A Prairie Home Companion
|
What's the story?
The cast of one of America's most celebrated radio shows, A Prairie Home Companion, perform for the last time in front of a live studio audience, after the theatre's manager (Tommy Lee Jones) decides to pull the plug.
The line-up includes regular host Garrison Keillor (playing himself), the singing Johnson sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), and cowboy comics Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C Reilly). Watching from the sidelines are a security guard (Kevin Kline) and a mysterious angel of death (Virginia Madsen).
What we say
There's added poignancy surrounding the belated release of A Prairie Home Companion as it's the final film of Robert Altman’s sparkling career. But while it contains many of the director’s trademarks - a star-strewn cast and interweaving storylines - and remains as enthralling, it sadly falls short of the director’s finest work (MASH, The Player and Gosford Park).
What’s more, elements of the story feel like the director had already begun to confront his own mortality. For the most part, however, A Prairie Home Companion succeeds in providing a fitting reminder of Altman’s immeasurable talents. The way he managed a big cast, for example, is exemplary as pretty much everyone gets the chance to shine, and the juggling of themes remains an example to most.
But that maverick sensibility that was prevelant throughout hits such as MASH and The Player is much less evident here, replaced by a keen sense of nostalgia.
There are still potshots at establisment values (personified by Tommy Lee Jones’s theatre boss) but there’s also a poignant sense that all good things must come to an end. The film feels like a swansong and Altman fans will find some of the insights of its older characters very moving.
Others, however, may find these musings pretentious and disruptive to the film's flow. The film undoubtedly works best when it keeps things light and comes alive during the musical interludes delivered by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin. It also features some wonderful camaraderie between Woody Harrelson and John C Reilly. Kevin Kline, too, is hilarious as the inept security guard, displaying a keen sense of comic timing that was lacking from his performance in The Pink Panther.
But Lindsay Lohan feels is out of her depth as Streep's daughter and the sub-plot involving Virgina Madsen's mysterious angel of death feels unnecessary. Altman unfortunately departs quietly rather than with a bang - although fans won't begrudge making the journey to say farewell.
Star rating:
Certificate: PG
Running time: 105mins
Review: Rob Carnevale. Photo: The Works
