A Prairie Home Companion

The term 'auteur' always bothered me because it demeans the roles and contributions others have in bringing a film to the screen; but in Robert Altman's case, with his unique directing style, it's hard to argue against its usage. The story is typical Altman: a large group of musicians come together for the last broadcast of America's most celebrated Country & Western radio show - A Prairie Home Companion. Moving around backstage and taking in the occasional performance of the musicians, Altman pops in and out of conversations and mini-storylines while Virginia Madsen's angel wanders around making everyone depressed. Like Altman's most famous work (M*A*S*H, Nashville, Gosford Park), the story is not the attraction, and takes a backseat to the characters. However, the characters have to be hugely entertaining to carry the weight and A Prairie Home Companion's don't. We never really get to know anybody or what drives them and this results in the viewer not giving a damn if this is the last show or not. The acting, however, make it watchable: Streep, Harrelson, Reilly and Lily Tomlin inhabit their characters and deliver such natural performances, we could be watching a documentary. Kline's character Guy Noir - a '40s style gumshoe - gets all the best lines and is allowed to goof it up, but suffers the same fate as Madsen: sticking out like a sore thumb and looking like he shouldn't be there at all.