A Prairie Home Companion

I love itttttttttttttttttttttt solo eso puedo decir me encanto y punto final por eso le doy un 10

The final film from legendary director Robert Altman, A Prairie Home Companion is a funny, smart, and compelling film. A suitable conclusion to an incredible career, A Prairie Home Companion blends music and comedy brilliantly, while working in contemplation on death that coincides with the end of a radio variety show. Based on the real life show that is still on the air, A Prairie Home Companion is about a long running weekly variety radio show that is set to be cancelled after the radio station was sold. Starring an ensemble cast, A Prairie Home Companion just feels oddly far too slight to have a lasting impact, but is still a worthy addition to Altman's extensive filmography. Starring Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Virginia Madsen, L.Q. Jones, Tim Russell, and Maya Rudolph, the film's greatest asset is its actors. With a star studded cast, the film is blessed with a wealth of terrific performances. As a private investigator who runs security for the show, Kevin Kline appears as Guy Noir. A part of the real life show, Guy Noir is an homage to film noir detectives and Kline knocks the role out of the part. From the great opening with Kline delivering a voice over akin to a 1940s film noir, the film opens with a roar. Accented with noir lighting on a dark night and a raspy delivery from Kline, the film made me realize I desperately need to find a neo-noir film with Kevin Kline. Alongside Kline, Meryl Streep turns in a terrifically great performance as Yolanda Johnson, one half of a singing sister duo. With a great voice and typically adept performance, Streep is a great almost calming presence next to her sister, portrayed by Lily Tomlin. With Tomlin playing a more boisterous sister, Streep's calm demeanor is a great anchor in scenes between the two. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are great as a cowboy singing duo with gruff, funny deliveries both on and off stage. The duo are both capable singers and adept comics with good delivery and timing throughout. Garrison Keillor and Lindsay Lohan also turn in great performances here, rounding a tremendous cast. The second strength of this film is the music. Well-written and well performed, the music is a bit more country (hello Nashville) and is balanced between beautiful hymn-like music, straight up country, and comedic songs. Together, they really flow into one another with the actors all more than capable of hitting the right notes on stage. In particular, Streep is phenomenal in all of her songs and finds great chemistry in her duets with Tomlin. Garrison Keillor surprised me with his great voice in singing advertisements for the show, which almost become a running joke throughout with how often they come up. The music is all incredibly composed and really hits a lovely nostalgic note in how it honors the past of the show, the characters' lives, and country music as a whole. This really lends well to the ruminations on death ushered into the film by the angel Asphodal (Virginia Madsen). An angel sent by God to bring people to heaven or bring them simple comforts, Asphodal appears on the set and, though she does bring death, more symbolically stands out as the death of the show. Even as the characters hold out hope for the show to continue, her constant presence shows that this is unlikely to occur. It also forces the characters to face their own morality and come to grips with the fact that the past is the past and can no longer be a part of your present. It is best to let go (finding new jobs, doing eulogies, handing over power of attorney) than it is to hang on for too long and miss your time. The music really captures this note being both nostalgic and somber, but always incredibly pleasant to listen to during the film. Yet, A Prairie Home Companion is oddly slight. Focusing solely on the final show, the film can become a bit tedious and repetitive during its slightly over 90 minute run time. While the characters are fun and engaging, the film is never as fun as it seems it should be. It is almost as if there is an inside joke that the audience is not privy to, which keeps us at an arm's length from the film. This is ultimately the film's biggest hindrance and likely the source of why the film received more mixed reviews from audience members as opposed to critics. It just does not feel as if every piece is there, which hurts the overall product. The ending certainly contributes to this with nothing but a quick voice over from Guy Noir tying the end of the show to the scene at the diner, which is too brief and ill-explained to really work. With great performances, music, and a lush brown hue to the entire proceedings, A Prairie Home Companion is a funny, compelling, and occasionally odd film from Robert Altman. The last film of his career, it feels as though Altman knew it was time and created a film to bring comfort to those who loved his work.