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A Prairie Home Companion

Play trailer Poster for A Prairie Home Companion PG-13 2006 1h 45m Comedy Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 197 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
A private investigator (Kevin Kline) keeps tabs on the proceedings as guests, cast and crew (Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson) of a long-running radio show prepare for the final broadcast. Their home, the Fitzgerald Theater, is due for demolition, and they await the arrival of the Texas axe-man (Tommy Lee Jones). Meanwhile, the show's creator and host (Garrison Keillor) conducts business as usual in the face of the show's impending demise.
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A Prairie Home Companion

A Prairie Home Companion

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Critics Consensus

The final film by the great Robert Altman, A Prairie Home Companion, the big screen adaptation of Garrison Keillor's radio broadcast showcases plenty of the director's strengths: it's got a gigantic cast and plenty of quirky acting and dialogue.

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Critics Reviews

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Matthew Leyland BBC.com 01/09/2007
It's a warm and dignified end to a sometimes erratic but often enthralling career. Go to Full Review
Philip French Guardian 01/06/2007
It's a lovely and loving film. Go to Full Review
David Edelstein New York Magazine/Vulture 01/06/2007
The movie, redolent of death, is a sort of wake, but a funny-sad one, teeming with music, corny jokes, and an ensemble of gifted performers who appear to be having an obscene amount of fun in one another's company. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 22
4/4
Altman's best film since the one-two punch of The Player and Short Cuts back in the early 1990s. Go to Full Review
Peter Sobczynski The Spool 06/09/2021
Altman conducts all of these disparate elements in a manner that simultaneously suggests both a practiced veteran and an eager newcomer. He calls upon all of his still-undiminished skills while staying agog with the possibilities to achieve. Go to Full Review
David Walsh World Socialist Web Site 02/14/2021
A Prairie Home Companion exudes a general warmth and foolishness, favors the chaos of a creative community, argues for some sort of elemental human and artistic solidarity and kindness-and aside from that, not much. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jacob B Mar 6 While not the perfect period for the end of Robert Altman’s career, it’s pretty damn good. Fans of the radio show should love it, and fans of Altman (and I’m definitely one of them) will enjoy seeing the master doing what he does best with some of his long time collaborators. See more N P 11/09/2024 With an A-List cast, the carefree banter and charming show tunes within a niche radio show about to close is entertaining and delightful that harkens to an older time. However, I'm ngl that I was pretty bored. Maybe because the point of the movie is that nothing much was supposed to happen despite an angel of death on the loose. It's a chill watch with an interesting and laid back premise to witness these great actors interact, but besides that, that's kind of it. See more Joseph B 10/02/2024 I was actually very surprised by this film. Great characters and a lot of fun music make the movie even more enjoyable. While the film has many side-plots, it is easy to keep up with. Performances that stand out particularly are Kline, Streep, Rudolph, Tomlin, Reilly, and Lohan. Kline and Reilly serve as great contrasts of comedic and dramatic actors while Streep and Tomlin’s charm being shown through song and comedy bring out the most laughs. Rudolph, in one of her early roles, show the true potential she had and why she succeeded. For Lohan, as it was her first role in a drama, the movie proves that she is not only great as a comedic actress, but also knows her craft as a dramatic actress in her transition from Disney kid to a leading Hollywood actress. I absolutely recommend this film. This all-star cast and plot make this film very enjoyable. See more Rob G 05/20/2024 An original and unique concept. Based on a real show's last night on air but with a fictional story and all star cast thrown in. Had the feel of those old time radio shows with a little weirdness thrown in with the cast of characters and Angel/Ghost. I've always loved this movie and have seen a few times now. Just makes you feel good. See more Jon L 02/16/2024 Meryl Streep and Lindsay Lohan deliver incredible performances! See more Kyle M 01/11/2024 Robert Altman's final picture attracts based on his connective complex signature with a star-studded ensemble cleverly delivered in all the critical glory now properly grasped, even if not a listener to the titular radio broadcast done faithfully with comedic reverence. (B+) See more Read all reviews
A Prairie Home Companion

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Movie Info

Synopsis A private investigator (Kevin Kline) keeps tabs on the proceedings as guests, cast and crew (Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson) of a long-running radio show prepare for the final broadcast. Their home, the Fitzgerald Theater, is due for demolition, and they await the arrival of the Texas axe-man (Tommy Lee Jones). Meanwhile, the show's creator and host (Garrison Keillor) conducts business as usual in the face of the show's impending demise.
Director
Robert Altman
Producer
Robert Altman, Wren Arthur, Joshua Astrachan, Tony Judge, David Levy
Screenwriter
Garrison Keillor
Distributor
Picturehouse
Production Co
River Road Entertainment, GreeneStreet Films Inc., Sandcastle 5 Productions, Prairie Home Productions, Picturehouse Cinemas
Rating
PG-13 (Risque Humor)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 9, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 24, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$20.3M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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