Gary Dretzka
Leonard Klady
David Poland
Ray Pridecia Vidal

A Prairie Home Companion

Directed by Robert Altman

When future generations study the career of director Robert Altman, such masterworks as Nashville, M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Short Cuts almost certainly will be given prominence over such small-scale gems as Thieves Like Us, The Long Goodbye, Vincent & Theo and The Player. Altman and Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion is a perfect example of the titles likely to be relegated to the also-rans. Their ode to the highly endangered pleasures of live radio unfolds around an ensemble of unselfish A-list stars and splendid character actors, a soundtrack overflowing with quirky music and Altman’s trademark overlapping dialogue. Set within the framework of the final performance of a doomed radio variety show, not unlike the real A Prairie Home Companion, Keillor’s surprisingly unpretentious screenplay uses a murder mystery to link the disparate acts, performers and backstage staff to the show’s demise, a fate tantamount to the draining of Lake Wobegon. Besides Keillor, the cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Virginia Madsen, a very pregnant Maya Rudolph and a convincingly mature Lindsay Lohan (that wouldn’t last long, though). The bonus features include additional scenes, extended musical performances, a making-of featurette and commentary with Altman and Kline.