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