Stars: Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep, Robin Williams, Garrison Keillor, Tommy Lee Jones, Lindsay Lohan

Director: Robert Altman

Summary: Corporate bigwigs have bought the Fitzgerald Theatre, where the radio show A Prairie Home Companion is aired live, so the cast and crew are dedicated to putting on one great final show before their long-time home meets the wrecking ball. Among the performers are sister act the Johnson Girls; aged folkster Chuck Akers, who is having a torrid sexual relationship with the lunch lady, and the raunchy duo of singing cowpokes, Dusty and Lefty; As the show goes on, bumbling private detective and security chief Guy Noir pratfalls his way through an investigation of a mysterious woman in white while awaiting the arrival of the Axeman, the corporate honcho ready to close the show down. Meanwhile, pregnant stage manager Molly tries to keep things moving smoothly despite almost insurmountable odds.

Cleverly adapted from the long-running radio series, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION is a comedy-musical tour de force written by PRAIRIE host Garrison Keillor and directed by Oscar-winning auteur Robert Altman. Keillor stars as a fictional version of himself, leading his guests through what might be the end of an era: corporate bigwigs have bought the Fitzgerald Theatre, where the radio show is aired live, so the cast and crew are dedicated to putting on one great final show before their long-time home meets the wrecking ball. Altman alternates between backstage intrigue and the classic, old-time music being played in front of a dedicated audience, mixing fact with fiction in humorous and poignant ways. Among the performers are sister act the Johnson Girls--Yolanda (Meryl Streep), Rhonda (Altman regular Lily Tomlin), and Yolanda's daughter, Lola (Lindsay Lohan); aged folkster Chuck Akers (L.Q. Jones), who is having a torrid sexual relationship with the lunch lady (Marylouise Burke); the raunchy duo of singing cowpokes, Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly); and real PRAIRIE contributors Jearlyn Steele, Robin and Linda Williams, and the Guys All-Star Shoe Band, led by Richard Dworsky. As the show goes on, bumbling private detective and security chief Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) pratfalls his way through an investigation of a mysterious woman in white (Virginia Madsden) while awaiting the arrival of the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones), the corporate honcho ready to close the show down. Meanwhile, pregnant stage manager Molly (Maya Rudolph) tries to keep things moving smoothly despite almost insurmountable odds. The outstanding soundtrack features both old and new songs (as well as fabulous commercial jingles) written by Keillor and others and actually performed by the diverse, talented cast, including such numbers as ‘Gold Watch & Chain’, ‘Old Plank Road’, ‘My Minnesota Home’, and ‘Red River Valley’.

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Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor combine reality and fantasy in this smooth, ebullient take on the long-running Prairie Home Companion radio show. Set during the show's fictitious last broadcast--the host station has been bought--the film has plenty of elements from the real PHC radiocasts, including a live audience and the sensational Shoe band. The onstage program is mostly music numbers, a beguiling mix of standards and old-style country. However, the show's usual comedy sketches are never presented, save for the commercial parodies--this may be a PHC show, but Lake Wobegone is never mentioned. Instead, the sketches are played out as backstage banter that feautres the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), a harried stage hand (Maya Rudolph), a former listener turned angel (Virginia Madsen), and Keillor himself (a crusty alter-ego named simply G.K.). A few characters from the real PHC are given life: the singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty and gumshoe Guy Noir are embodied by Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and Kevin Kline, respectively. Old flames are fanned, stories are spun, new talents are found (Lindsay Lohan has a chance to shine as Streep's daughter) and everyone wonders if G.K. will do something to ebb the tide of cancellation (personified by Tommy Lee Jones as the corporate Axeman). All of the actors do right as singers, and seem to be having the time of their life. Keillor's screenplay is perfect fodder for Altman's usual brand of storytelling, as characters babble on with the camera picking them up often in mid-thought. The film appeared a few months after Altman received an honorary Oscar, and the director is still at the top of his game, creating this smile-inducing, song-filled time, ending with an ethereal last musical number. --Doug Thomas

Aspect Ratio:	1.78 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	The making of A Prairie Home Companion, Feature commentary by Kevin Kline and Robert Altman, Theatrical trailer, Interviews, Deleted scenes, Two featurette,
Year:	2006
Release Date:	June 25, 2007
Runtime:	101 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	8248332
Keywords:	Home, English, Comedy, General, Companion, Prairie
Genre:	Comedy