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A Prairie Home Companion
 Leave it to Robert Altman to make the most effortlessly pleasing movie of 2006 thus far. In a season dominated by big-budget studio event films that usually wind up as memorable as the ones we’ve seen this summer, Altman’s small and subtle new comedy comes along and shows just how cinematic a simple entertainment can be. A Prairie Home Companion is a loving tribute to a very small, but fascinating piece of American culture, the kind of friendship, warmth, experience, trials, and stories that bond individuals linked by a common interest: Music. A Prairie Home Companion is a loosely structured account of many different characters who participate in a classically presented radio show where songs, acts, tales, and many surprises entertain the many of St. Paul, Minnesota. Like his masterpiece, Nashville, A Prairie Home Companion is less about plot and more about anecdotes, dialogue, and natural life. It’s this quality about Altman’s work that makes films like this so enjoyable.
It’s the last show for the radio program, The Prairie Home Companion, ending priceless entertainment that lasted for over thirty years. Tommy Lee Jones’ corporate wealth is closing the book on the joy and spirit that pleases the people who love to listen and the entertainers who love to perform. On this final night, this final presentation, a wealth of emotion from many different characters is filling the air with the jovial energy that defines the show. These characters include bad-boy duo Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly), singing sisters Rhonda (Lily Tomlin) and Yolanda (Meryl Streep), suave security guard Guy Noir (Kevin Kline), exhausted assistant stage manager Molly (Maya Rudolph), troubled youngster Lola (Lindsay Lohan), an angelic presence known as ‘dangerous woman’ (Virginia Madsen), and radio host Garrison Keillor as himself. All of these characters are experiencing different things as they prepare and perform their final appearances on Prairie Home Companion.
Each actor does beautiful work, especially the hilarious and brilliant performance by Kevin Kline as the deadbeat posing as a steely private eye. Every moment with this character is invaluable. When Kline is matched with the right role, he can be one of the most amusing comedic actors working in film today. Guy Noir is that perfect role, and Kline gives the best performance I’ve seen in a movie this year yet. Most of his sequences garner huge laughs, particularly a quick exchange with Maya Rudolph late in the film. Rudolph herself is excellent as the overly stressed assistant responsible for keeping everything organized and neat. When has Meryl Streep or Lily Tomlin not been good in a movie? These are two fantastic actresses doing wonderful work as the singing stars of the show. Not only are they amazing in their sequences of overlapping dialogue, but they prove to be talented singers in their many musical numbers. A joy to watch.
Dusty and Lefty could star in their own spin-off series with their chemistry and attitude. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are perfect together. Their final number is one of the many great moments of the film. This has shaped up into one solid year for Harrelson between this and A Scanner Darkly. John C. Reilly has been on of the most consistent actors of the past several years, and his turn as Lefty continues a streak preceded by his excellent work in The Aviator and Gangs of New York, among others. Their stories and songs are great fun, and both of them know how to relish the opportunity.
At the core of the group is Garrison Keillor as the humorous, charming, singing and talking radio showman. He’s just amazing to watch, simply put. His sequence with Virginia Madsen in which he explains the worth of a terrible joke is classic, as is every moment he shares with Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, and the rest of the incredible cast. The joke itself: “Two penguins are standing on an ice floe. The first penguin says, you look like you're wearing a tuxedo. The second penguin says, what makes you think I'm not?”. His improvisation about duct tape is one of the funniest segments of film I’ve seen in quite some time. Garrison Keillor is great.
Altman is one of the most diverse filmmakers of the last thirty years. When he’s at the top of his form, the results are always astonishing. A Prairie Home Companion may look light and easy for Altman, but its effortlessness is the stamp of a master filmmaker working in the finest form. This is the first absolutely great film released this year, and I’m glad it’s by a director still inspired so late in his career. This is how it’s done. Tremendous work.
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