In Saint Paul, Minnesota, the long-running live radio variety show A Prairie Home Companion prepares for its final broadcast. The radio station's new parent company has scheduled the show's home, the storied Fitzgerald Theater, for demolition and dispatched "the Axeman" to judge whether or not to save the show. In between musical acts, and under the watchful eye of PIGuy Noir, the show's denizens mingle and reminisce, including: the singing Johnson Girls, Yolanda, her sister Rhonda, and daughter Lola ; cowboy duo Dusty and Lefty ; pregnant PA Molly ; the Stage Manager, Makeup Lady, and Sound Effects Man ; and the show's creator and host, Garrison Keillor. The show is visited by an otherworldly "Dangerous Woman", revealed to be a listener who died during a past broadcast, now returned as the angel Asphodel; she lends comfort to the cast and crew for the show's ending and the death of the elderly Chuck Akers backstage. The Axeman arrives and declares the show too old-fashioned to keep on the air. Though Asphodel escorts him from the theater to an untimely demise, the show is still cancelled. Years later, the former cast reunites at Mickey's Diner with plans for a farewell tour. Their conversation pauses as they are joined by Asphodel.
To receive insurance for the shoot, Robert Altman had to hire Paul Thomas Anderson as a "backup" director to observe filming at all times and be prepared to take over for Altman in case of his incapacity. Using the working titleThe Last Show, principal photography for the film began on June 29, 2005, at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. Filming ended on July 28, 2005.
Reception
Critics
A Prairie Home Companion opened the 2006 South by Southwest film festival on March 10, then premiered in St. Paul, on May 3, 2006, at the Fitzgerald Theater, which had projection and sound equipment brought in for that purpose. The film's stars arrived in ten horse-drawn carriages. Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News anchored his newscast from neighboring Minneapolis, Minnesota, that night so that he would be able to attend. Critics' general reaction to the film was favorable. On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 7.12/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "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." Roger Ebert awarded the film four out of four stars, saying, "What a lovely film this is, so gentle and whimsical, so simple and profound", and later added the film to his "Great Movies" list. Michael Medved gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying, "The entertainment value stands somewhere between thin and nonexistent" and " the worst movie ever made that pooled the talents of four Oscar winners". Desson Thomson from The Washington Post fell in between, saying in a review headlined "Honey, You Could Ask for More" that while the movie had its strengths, it was weaker than it should have been.
The film had a successful limited release in the United States and grossed $20,338,609 domestically and $25,978,442 worldwide.
Soundtrack
A Prairie Home Companion is the soundtrack the 2006 film A Prairie Home Companion. It was released on May 23, 2006 via New Line Records.
Track listing
Chart performance
Home media
The DVD was released on October 10, 2006. Special features included deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and commentary by Altman and Kline. A Prairie Home Companion Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on May 23, 2006, by New Line.
