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Review

Robert Altman assembles yet another oddball ensemble cast for this musical tribute to radio host Garrison Keillor's long-running variety show. The plot centers around the final broadcast of "A Prarie Home Companion" as cast and crew members say their goodbyes before a corporate buyout forces the broadcasting theatre to close. The film is shot on location at the program's actual theatre, which Altman freely explores to its fullest. The film oozes with nostalgia, from its rustic costumes to its humorous advertising ditties, to the point where the brief appearance of a cell phone seems jarringly anachronistic. The cast is remarkably charming despite their typical Altmanesque deliveries. Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin play singing sisters who casually speak simultaneously, allowing the audience to hear two conversations at once. Kevin Kline brings Keillor's Guy Noir character to life as a nosy Clouseau-inspired security guard. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly play dirty-mouthed singing cowboys whose truly awful "Bad Jokes" routine serves as the program's climax. Other featured stars include Tommy Lee Jones as a corporate bigwig, Lindsay Lohan as a tortured teen, and Virgina Madsen as an angel who spends her time staring wide-eyed at the program's cast in a creepy manner. The presence of a heavenly being comes across as a mite too dramatic, but she does provide a few of the film's most memorable laughs. Garrison Keillor and the actual staff of his radio program proudly play their charming selves. The film treatment will surely aid in the historic preservation of this American institution while gaining some new fans in the process. Hopefully a Lake Wobegon film isn't too far behind.

 -- Eric Bresler