When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A Prairie Home Companion (2006): Dir: Robert Altman / Cast: Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, Virginia Madsen, Lily Tomlin: Send off to old theatre radio where the voices heard seem personal. It is the final night before the radio theatre show is shut down and the screenplay sways between musical numbers and setup scenes where performers ready for their act. Kevin Kline is hilarious as a private investigator down on his luck. He observes everything and reflects upon the history of the event. Meryl Streep is excellent as she voices her hurt over a past relationship with the host. She and Lily Tomlin will perform a perfect pitch number before they farewell the place. Her daughter is played by Lindsay Lohan stealing scenes with her obsession of poetry and suicide. She also delivers an on stage performance that elevate her beyond what she has done before. Biggest weakness is Virginia Madsen as an angel who appears. and her subplot is totally unnecessary. Lily Tomlin plays Streep's sister and together they make up a country music act. It is great to see these two veterans share the screen as well as the stage. Director Robert Altman proves to know theatre radio and backs it up with superb art direction. Altman is a celebrated director whose films are often ensemble and different as with Gosford Park or Nashville. This film regards the dusk of years of love and the dawn of new beginnings. Score: 8 ½ / 10

The Legendary Robert Altman delivers a Wonderful Last Film with 'A Prairie Home Companion'. Also, the ensemble cast pitch in marvelous performances!'A Prairie Home Companion' Synopsis: A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.'A Prairie Home Companion' celebrates love, music & joy. Garrison Keillor's Screenplay is profoundly engaging & heart-warming. Altman's Direction is ovation-worthy, as always. Cinematography is fabulous. Editing, Art & Costume Design are great.As mentioned before, the ensemble cast pitch in marvelous performances! Kevin Kline takes the lead with a charming turn. Garrison Keillor is so natural all through, while the impeccable Meryl Streep shows her class as a performer once again. Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic. Woody Harrelson & John C. Reilly are genuinely lovable, while Lindsay Lohan is pleasant. Lily Tomlin, Virginia Madsen & Maya Rudolph are mention-worthy, as well.On the whole, 'A Prairie Home Companion' is a winner. Here's a story worth watching!

This is a story about the last night of a long-running radio show. Since Garrison Keillor wrote the screenplay you are tempted to think that this might be his imagining of what the last night would be for the radio show he hosts. But that would not be correct, since there are cinematic aspects that could not be captured in a radio program. For example, Guy Noir, the detective who appears on the real radio program only is skits, comes and goes throughout this movie. And I see no way to capture the many appearances of the "dangerous woman" on a radio program. Some people see her and others don't--how would you capture that? So, even though the movie is intimately connected with the radio program of the same name, this cannot be seen as the filming of a radio performance.Playing Guy Noir (here in charge of security) Kevin Kline does a wonderful take off on Inspector Clouseau of "Pink Panther" fame. Kline has a gift for comedy that I was not aware of. And who could resist the banter between Merle Streep and Lily Tomlin who play the Johnson sisters, Yolanda and Lola. When Yolanda refers to the Carter Family, Lola asks, "Who?" and Yolanda answers, "The Carter Family, Like us, only famous." The movie is filled with dialog like that, dialog that provokes chuckles rather than laughter. Streep and Tomlin are having so much fun that it is infectious.As a longtime listener to the radio program who has never been to a performance, this movie satisfied some of my curiosities. It was good to see the mechanics of a performance and to put faces on many of the radio personalities. It was also a treat to see the inside of the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, the home-base for the actual radio programThe movie is not without some philosophical commentary, the essence of which is to enjoy what you can, since life is short. Not deep, but delivered in a most gentle way that makes for a very effective final scene. When some of the cast are enjoying genial after-performance conversation at a nearby diner the "dangerous woman" enters. I took the dangerous woman to be the angel of death and her appearance at the diner was a reminder that while we are enjoying some of our most pleasant moments death can walk in the door at any moment.Being familiar with the radio program will most likely add to your enjoyment of this movie. I have some friends who were unfamiliar with the radio program and were totally mystified by the riffs on rhubarb pie and powder milk biscuits.That the story meanders is an understatement, but the chaos is woven into a satisfying experience. Whatever might be said about this, it is a unique film.

I was totally blown away by this film. I did not know what to expect when I went into this film, but I knew that Robert Altman was a filmmaker to check out. I actually bought this film for a few dollars at a local video store and have had it for years. I am glad I did.It starts out with a mystery noir feel to it and it really just added to the charm to film. This introduces this world that is not of any time period, but really a meeting point of old and new. There was something so classic about the film that it had me smiling through most of the film. The movie follows the cast of a radio show called A Prairie Home Companion as they perform their final show. Everyone from the performers to the producers and more feel the lose of the show and by the end you will too.There is an indescribable charm that can be mostly attributed to Garrison Keillor. He plays the host of Prairie Home Companion a live radio show that is performed in front of a live audience. I guess this was pretty common back in the day. The single most amazing thing about this movie is that I feel as if this is what the show is actually like.Garrison Keillor, or GK, really has a certain charm that is just missing. He plays his character as if he slightly senile, but in the end all of his stories of how he got into radio really says a lot about his character. He tells all of these different stories of how he got into radio and in end it says that everything that has happened in his life is what has led him to where he is now. It really is a wonderful character that the more you think about him the more intricate he becomes. He refuses to say goodbye to his listeners even though it is his last show. At first it just comes off as a stubborn old man, but it means a lot to him and to not to change anything ends up making sense.I could talk about the character of GK all night, but I must say that I loved the rest of the cast, with the exception of the most seasoned actress. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin. They did a good job acting, but unfortunately their singing talent is not up to par to the rest of the cast. They are just not that good. But in their defense in one of their songs about their "mamma" I did start to feel the emotion of the song. Even if they did not sound that good they were still able to get the emotion across. Harrelson and Reily on the other hand sounded great. I was really blown away by how good they were and how well their voices came together.The rest of the cast were all extremely well cast and played their parts perfectly. Madsen gets a lot of credit and I really bought her as an angel. I feel as if I must say a few words about Lohan and the fact that she can act if she chooses to. She was not the best actress out there, but her character brought a lot to the film. She had the largest arc out of any of the characters. She went from an attitude filled teenager to a young adult who understood what made this experience so special.I must say it is really hard to describe this movie and it is something that needs to be experienced for oneself. There is so much to like about this movie and all of it comes together in a neat little package that just warms the heart. I loved the experience of visiting a Prairie Home Companion and Altman has really captured something unique on film and has shared it with the world to enjoy.