A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Should you bring the kids? Lots of foul language, risqué jokes, and one near-sex scene make this movie inappropriate for kids younger than 13. For more info, see "Bringing the Kids" below.

THE STORY: This movie is a fictional story about a real radio show. Even if you've never listened to it, you're no doubt familiar with the weekly radio show called "A Prairie Home Companion," narrated by the droll Garrison Keillor.

The story begins with the cast and crew of the show scurrying – or NOT scurrying, as the case may be – around backstage, getting ready for the weekly show. Pulling it all together ISN'T Keillor (or "GK," as he's called by the regulars), but rather his faithful and pregnant assistant with her trusty clipboard. She tries to hurry GK along, but he's more interested in recalling the details of some long-ago incident with a friend who's dropped by his dressing room. 

His assistant nearly has her baby right then and there, as GK slowly makes his way to the stage, yammering the whole time about so-and-so and did she do this or, rather, was it that?

Once on stage, the host does the thing he's been doing for some 30 years – create stories and songs in a voice that melts softly into the air, no matter how crazy things get back-stage. The cast includes folks from the real-life radio show (musicians Butch Thompson and Pat Donohue, among others), but also an eclectic collection of fictional characters, including The Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), the "Old Trailhands" (John C. Riley and Woody Harrelson), and various other crooners, gospel singers, and musicians.

Private eye Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) has taken the role of the show's security guard to earn some extra cash. With a show this benign, it's hard to imagine who he's planning to protect, until a mysterious blonde woman (Virginia Madsen) shows up dressed in a white trench coat. Meanwhile, the talent speculates about their careers after the microphones are silenced for the final time. This is the last night for the show, because the station that broadcasts it has been sold to a Texas conglomerate.

THE WRAP-UP: Like the real radio show, this movie is a loving tribute to a world some feel is rapidly disappearing – church suppers, big families, and folks on the porch, telling stories and singing songs. As for the cast, I couldn't take my eyes off Meryl Streep! As always, she inhabits the role with every cell of her body. Lindsay Lohan plays her daughter, a teen fixated on death and suicide (but in a funny way, if that's possible). This movie is unlike any I've seen in recent years, which automatically gives it points, in my book. All in all, this is a movie I wouldn't mind seeing again.

PARENTS NEED TO KNOW: This movie deals with some pretty heavy issues – suicide, loss, romance, death – you know, all that stuff that goes along with being a human, but which, hopefully, kids won't have to get into until they're a little older. In the story, a character dies unexpectedly, right before he was set to have sex with another character in a backstage dressing room. The script is rife with sexual comments, innuendo, and profanities, especially when the Old Trailhands decide to throw caution to the wind and do a routine of "bad jokes" for their last show. Various characters are seen smoking, and a man keeps a flask of liquor in his desk.

BRINGING THE KIDS:

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): This movie is NOT for preschoolers.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): Ditto – not for grade-schoolers.

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): This movie is ok for kids 13 and older, although they'll probably get more out of it if they're familiar with the radio show (or even radio shows, in general). Fans of Garrison Keillor will get a kick out of seeing him on-screen, although he's not really acting, since he's been the real-live host of the radio show for years. The music is fun (Meryl, Lily, Lindsay, Woody & John sing!), and the plot rolls along quickly, offering enough quirky characters and storylines to keep things interesting.

SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels

Jane's Reel Rating System:
One Reel: Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.
Two Reels: Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels: Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels: Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

Read my other reviews here.