Altman's latest ensemble piece is a film that wholly defies categorization. Is it a comedy? Is it a musical? Is it a detective story? Its success undoubtedly stems from being an atmospheric amalgam of the aforementioned, as well as a fine cast, while its ultimate weakness buds from eliciting a mere "So what?" from the audience toward the end.
Let me clarify. Robert Altman is the emperor of ensembles and his usual fare consists of wielding a behind-the-scenes style of film-making in which we intimately get to know every last character through following them around unflinchingly for a day or so. In A Prairie Home Companion the story is literally a behind-the-scenes reel of an American live radio-show that airs weekly. We partly follow them on stage, while never seeing audience, because we ARE the audience. But Altman directs his dutiful gliding steadicams into the cluttered, frantic dressing room where the story really takes place. Here it is wildly unfocused but wildly enjoyable.
What is of interest is that the radio show is on its last night, during which the film takes place. After this the thirty year old country show A Prairie Home Companion will close and be torn down to make room for a parking lot. Screenwriter and radio leader Garrison Keillor remarks on how we must live every show like it's our last, and voilà, A Prairie Home drifts into an endless charade of sing-and-dance performances, corny country one-liners and melancholic talk of memories gone by that all contributes to an extremely cozy atmosphere. It becomes sweet and real as Meryl Streep talks about tributing her mama to whom the show is dedicated, with a Southern drawl tingling her soft-spoken voice.
On that note the cast are fantastic and dynamic, and best of all, completely chameleon-like in their respective parts. Granted, Lindsay Lohan looks lost among such a well-respected ensemble cast but she gets to shine a little when she finally gets on stage and sings. All the while Robert Altman reaffirms his position as an apt director by giving us a seamless intercutting of characters and their small story lines. Regrettably the cast are all that is in focus, for the film boasts of no truly interesting settings certainly not like the lush upper-class estate of Gosford Park at any rate, which provided limitless visual stimulation for the viewer whenever the plot turned a little sour.
A Prairie Home Companion is one of those clearly-above-average type of films that still does not manage to touch you unless you put some effort into it and remain super-focused during the talkative behind-the-scenes reel. It never manages as intriguing or charming as Gosford Park but this can perhaps be attributed to personal taste if you prefer English country estate or American country side ultimately, this is still a well-crafted ensemble piece and a worthy addition to Altman's resumé.
7 out of 10
Let me clarify. Robert Altman is the emperor of ensembles and his usual fare consists of wielding a behind-the-scenes style of film-making in which we intimately get to know every last character through following them around unflinchingly for a day or so. In A Prairie Home Companion the story is literally a behind-the-scenes reel of an American live radio-show that airs weekly. We partly follow them on stage, while never seeing audience, because we ARE the audience. But Altman directs his dutiful gliding steadicams into the cluttered, frantic dressing room where the story really takes place. Here it is wildly unfocused but wildly enjoyable.
What is of interest is that the radio show is on its last night, during which the film takes place. After this the thirty year old country show A Prairie Home Companion will close and be torn down to make room for a parking lot. Screenwriter and radio leader Garrison Keillor remarks on how we must live every show like it's our last, and voilà, A Prairie Home drifts into an endless charade of sing-and-dance performances, corny country one-liners and melancholic talk of memories gone by that all contributes to an extremely cozy atmosphere. It becomes sweet and real as Meryl Streep talks about tributing her mama to whom the show is dedicated, with a Southern drawl tingling her soft-spoken voice.
On that note the cast are fantastic and dynamic, and best of all, completely chameleon-like in their respective parts. Granted, Lindsay Lohan looks lost among such a well-respected ensemble cast but she gets to shine a little when she finally gets on stage and sings. All the while Robert Altman reaffirms his position as an apt director by giving us a seamless intercutting of characters and their small story lines. Regrettably the cast are all that is in focus, for the film boasts of no truly interesting settings certainly not like the lush upper-class estate of Gosford Park at any rate, which provided limitless visual stimulation for the viewer whenever the plot turned a little sour.
A Prairie Home Companion is one of those clearly-above-average type of films that still does not manage to touch you unless you put some effort into it and remain super-focused during the talkative behind-the-scenes reel. It never manages as intriguing or charming as Gosford Park but this can perhaps be attributed to personal taste if you prefer English country estate or American country side ultimately, this is still a well-crafted ensemble piece and a worthy addition to Altman's resumé.
7 out of 10