What It's About
For more than 30 years, Garrison Keillor has written 'A Prairie Home Companion,' a nationally syndicated radio variety show. Robert Altman brings the production to the big screen for the first time as a fictional lot of characters (played by a talented ensemble including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly) prepare for and storm through the last show ever.

Why You Should See It As the tried-and-true 'PHC' character Guy Noir, Kevin Kline lives up to his name, playing the PI as a throwback to a black-and-white caper. Streep and Tomlin (as county-fair-circuit singing sisters who love their belated Mama more than song can tell) and Lohan (who sings her own version of 'Frankie and Johnny') all give strong, hysterical performances. They could all easily pass as Keillor radio personalities.

Production Note Keillor and Altman worked hard at creating a distinct element of authenticity. Thus the entire film -- save opening and closing scenes -- was shot in St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater, home to the show since 1978. 'PHC' band members and regular guests also appear in the film.

Track Record Though almost always met with critical acclaim, Altman's films aren't exactly cash cows. Of his more than 30 features, the 1970 classic 'M*A*S*H' remains his most successful (grossing $73.2 million), though 2001's Best Picture nominee 'Gosford Park' made a none-too-shabby $41.3 mil. But considering a built-in Keillor crowd, esteemed vets like Streep and Kline, and tabloid staple Lohan, 'Prairie' might just be his hottest ticket yet.

Auteur Testimonial On what most appealed to him about turning a radio show into a film, Altman says in the press notes, "My first interest in dramatics was radio. I remember listening to radio as a kid in the 1930s … My big idol when I was a young man was Norman Corwin, who essentially created the radio drama. The first professional dramatic thing I did, outside of a little theatre, was radio drama writing. So radio is very dear and near to me."

Recommended If You Liked
'Waiting for Guffman'
'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'
'Radio Days'
'Drop Dead Gorgeous'
'A Mighty Wind'

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