A Prairie Home Companion

Keillor has been lauded by literary critics....Humorist Garrison Keillor hospitalized after suffering stroke....he is most well known for "A Prairie Home Companion" which first started production in 1974, airing live on Saturday nights from 5-7 CT.....A Prairie Home Companion features homegrown music, vibrant comedy sketches and the affable host's signature monologue....is often compared favourably with authors Vonnegut, Twain and Swift as a potent and vital writing force..... ... Full Review

A Prairie Home Companion " is a lovely film about a lovely radio show.....The film is a loving evocation of the program....Lohan is fresh and excited, pulled onstage for her radio debut.....Toward the very end of the last show, the singers and musicians join Keillor in singing that saddest of all lovely songs....Actors learned that when he praised something, that might be his way of telling them to do more of it, or less..... ... Full Review

A Prairie Home Companion" is a lovely film about a lovely radio show.....The film is a loving evocation of the program....assemble gifted actors, friends as often as possible....Toward the very end of the last show, the singers and musicians join Keillor in singing that saddest of all lovely songs....Actors learned that when he praised something, that might be his way of telling them to do more of it, or less..... ... Full Review

Faring better are Streep and Tomlin, who vocalize throughout to better advantage. Altman's sidewinding tribute to a surprisingly hardy 32-year-old public radio phenomenon is like a 105-minute putter in the garden, with a few songs and some jokes. ... Full Review

There is an odd storyline about angels and death that somehow fits into this strange and lovely film. A fitting final film for a director who loved characters and music, this film has it all. ... Full Review

A fitting swansong for Altman's career, this is an enjoyable comedy drama with strong performances, lively musical numbers and a handful of decent jokes. The superb ensemble cast also includes Kevin Kline as house detective and 1940s throwback Guy Noir; Tommy Lee Jones as the seemingly unmoved theatre owner who's shutting them down; Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly as a pair of singing cowboys; Virginia Madsen as a mysterious woman in white; and Keillor himself as the on-stage narrator. ... Full Review

A fitting swansong for Altman's career, this is an enjoyable comedy drama with strong performances, lively musical numbers and a handful of decent jokes. The superb ensemble cast also includes Kevin Kline as house detective and 1940s throwback Guy Noir; Tommy Lee Jones as the seemingly unmoved theatre owner who's shutting them down; Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly as a pair of singing cowboys; Virginia Madsen as a mysterious woman in white; and Keillor himself as the on-stage narrator. ... Full Review

The Company, his earnest docu-fiction feature about the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, the mix of real and fictional players makes for a stilted and uneasy film.....a mix of gentle country music, broad comedy and Keillor's whimsical monologues -....Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin are country-singin' sisters whose songs are dull and mediocre, but evidently not supposed to be.....Catastrophically, Altman gives centre-stage prominence to Garrison Keillor, whom he has allowed to play himself:.... ... Full Review

But, while A Prairie Home Companion certainly won't do Gosford Park-style business, fans of Altman the director and anyone who appreciates the old style Radio 2 won't be disappointed by the rich combination of quality photography, music and performances. ... Full Review

it comes over with a good dollop of this great director's unique capacity to paint a scene with the ring of truth.....It was presented by Garrison Keillor who appears in the movie (which he also wrote) like an amiable ghost from the Grand Ole Opry....But it's a fittingly affectionate epitaph from a film-maker who took more chances than most.... ... Full Review