The recurring theme of the weekend of June 9 seemed to be "slow down, you young whippersnappers, and remember the way things used to be." That message came loud and clear in Disney/Pixar's Cars and in an even quirkier film about the bygone days of the radio variety show. "A Prairie Home Companion" is a strange little independent film with some big stars and a down-home sentimentality that you can't help falling victim to. Veteran director Robert Altman brings us the magical time warp of a world in such a way that you're not sure if you're in 2006 or 1956. "A Prairie Home Companion" is actually based on the long-running radio show that still performs in front of a live audience and airs on NPR today. The film is a simple "day in the life of" story that isn't really about anything except the wonderful little day-to-day things that make life real.
Kevin Kline stars as Guy Noir, Private Eye, a fictional character on the radio show but made into a real-life person in the movie. Noir has served six years as the show's security guard at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, and now narrates the sad tale of the end of the iconic show. Unbeknownst to the performers, they are actually doing their last show because a big-shot company from Texas has bought their beloved theater and they plan to demolish it to make a parking lot. Garrison Keillor, host of the real-life radio show, plays himself in the movie. He remains stoic and encourages everyone to perform this last show just as they would if it were any other show.
Not only do we get to see the show live on stage, but we also get to see all the behind the scenes action and get to know the characters. Two sisters, Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin) sit in the dressing room and reminisce about the days when they performed with the rest of their family. Yolanda's daughter, Lola (Lindsay Lohan) is the only family they have left, and it doesn't help that Lola loves to write poetry about suicide. Onstage the sisters sing beautifully and continue reminiscing about their mother in front of the live audience, just as they did in the dressing room five minutes before.
We also meet Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), two "cowboys" who sing old-time country music and tell dirty jokes. Then there's the stage manager Molly (Maya Rudolph) is pregnant and can have the baby at any moment. And there's the "Dangerous Woman" (Virginia Madsen) who wears a white trench coat and lurks around the theater quoting scriptures and attracting Guy Noir's attention. There are several other performer and behind-the-scenes folks who are involved in the actual show. We also meet the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones), the man who represents the Texas company, who has come to scope out the place before they destroy it. For some reason, he is the only one who cannot succumb to the magic of the show.
The fact is that there is so much going on that you will probably have to see it twice. Among the many things that caught my attention were the silly commercials for fake products throughout the radio show. Powdermilk Biscuits, Bebop-a-Rebop Rhubarb Pie, and Prince o' Pizza are only a few. I also got a kick out of the "Bad Joke" song, in which Dusty and Lefty tell joke after dirty joke, which are the kind of jokes your grandpa might tell you if your mom isn't listening. Okay, now you're wondering what I'm talking about, so now you have to see the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
I have to admit. I was the youngest guy in the whole movie theater--I'm 26. I think young people can get just as much pleasure from it as the older folks. Just don't go to see the movie expecting an intricate plot or great special effects. It's simply a whimsical story about a few special people and a dying art form. The music is so addictive that I'm still singing along.
Kevin Kline stars as Guy Noir, Private Eye, a fictional character on the radio show but made into a real-life person in the movie. Noir has served six years as the show's security guard at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, and now narrates the sad tale of the end of the iconic show. Unbeknownst to the performers, they are actually doing their last show because a big-shot company from Texas has bought their beloved theater and they plan to demolish it to make a parking lot. Garrison Keillor, host of the real-life radio show, plays himself in the movie. He remains stoic and encourages everyone to perform this last show just as they would if it were any other show.
Not only do we get to see the show live on stage, but we also get to see all the behind the scenes action and get to know the characters. Two sisters, Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin) sit in the dressing room and reminisce about the days when they performed with the rest of their family. Yolanda's daughter, Lola (Lindsay Lohan) is the only family they have left, and it doesn't help that Lola loves to write poetry about suicide. Onstage the sisters sing beautifully and continue reminiscing about their mother in front of the live audience, just as they did in the dressing room five minutes before.
We also meet Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), two "cowboys" who sing old-time country music and tell dirty jokes. Then there's the stage manager Molly (Maya Rudolph) is pregnant and can have the baby at any moment. And there's the "Dangerous Woman" (Virginia Madsen) who wears a white trench coat and lurks around the theater quoting scriptures and attracting Guy Noir's attention. There are several other performer and behind-the-scenes folks who are involved in the actual show. We also meet the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones), the man who represents the Texas company, who has come to scope out the place before they destroy it. For some reason, he is the only one who cannot succumb to the magic of the show.
The fact is that there is so much going on that you will probably have to see it twice. Among the many things that caught my attention were the silly commercials for fake products throughout the radio show. Powdermilk Biscuits, Bebop-a-Rebop Rhubarb Pie, and Prince o' Pizza are only a few. I also got a kick out of the "Bad Joke" song, in which Dusty and Lefty tell joke after dirty joke, which are the kind of jokes your grandpa might tell you if your mom isn't listening. Okay, now you're wondering what I'm talking about, so now you have to see the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
I have to admit. I was the youngest guy in the whole movie theater--I'm 26. I think young people can get just as much pleasure from it as the older folks. Just don't go to see the movie expecting an intricate plot or great special effects. It's simply a whimsical story about a few special people and a dying art form. The music is so addictive that I'm still singing along.
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