Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor stage a fictional version of Keillor’s public-radio staple, which has been delivering dry wit, folksy storytelling and eclectic music for more than 30 years. The multilayered, musical cast – including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan and Woody Harrelson – allow Altman to indulge in his trademark creative chaos, while Keillor’s conceit of having this be the show’s final performance before new corporate ownership pulls the plug creates a tender mood of a melancholic nostalgia. A Prairie Home Companion is really about all those good things that must eventually come to an end: love, life, a good song – and a grand movie such as this.
