Review: PHC - The Movie

Subject: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: paddymac
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 10:16 PM

I had a chance to see the "Prairie Home Companion" movie over the weekeknd. Absolutely delightful, very well done cinemetography (no mountains or sheep), great story-telling, and really enjoyable music. It's worth the price of the ticket just to hear the "Slim & Dusty" duet sing the "bad joke" song. That number had the house convulsed in uproarious laughter and tears of enjoyment. If you feel the need to temporarily escape from the muck & mire of reality, that's the place to do it. Enjoy.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: paddymac
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 10:18 PM

And - PLEASE - if anyone can remember, or write fast enough to get it down, pleae post the lyrics here.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 11:15 PM

Kewl, glad to hear it is so good!

Here is the Official PHC movie site. If you click on Music, then use the down arrow to find the Bad Jokes song, you can hear at least the first little bits of it. Sounds great!

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Mark Ross
Date: 13 Jun 06 - 10:15 AM

Saw the film at its first showing this weekend, it was a delight! If you look carefully you can spot some of Twin Cities best musicians wandering around, Pop Wagner(who also gets a credit as lariat wrangler in the credits), Bill Hinkley and Judy Larson, Peter Oustroushko. I'd even watch it again, and I may even get the CD, which is where you can find the bad joke song.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 13 Jun 06 - 06:33 PM

Looked at the website. Loks like fun.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 12:51 PM

Does Peter Oustroushko get to play, or just wander around? Do any of the regulars, like Robin and Linda Williams get to perform? I've been a hugfe fan of the radio show for decades and I hope the movie doesn't let me down. So far, I've heard only good things about it and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 12:54 PM

I'll see it, but I'm gonna wait for DVD, cause it's more important to see Superman Returns on the big screen!

:-)

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 04:59 PM

The picture is a pure joy. I feel that people who are not PHC fans and/or do not listen to the radio program will not get a lot of it because Keillor plays all the characters on the show.   But they can still enjoy it as a nice and warm lighthearted comedy.

The plot line is slim and silly, but it keeps the film moving along. The performances by Streep, Tomlin, Reily, and Harelson are superb--and they do their own singing. And, yes, all the PHC regulars perfom--Robin and Linda Williams, Guys All Star Shoe Band, and of course Keillor as well as the sound man--Keith.

Just a sheer joy to watch---a throwback to movies of years ago--as is the radio show a throwback to radio of those years too.


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 08:17 PM

Oh, you're all so cute, with your Keillor-love. So I'll try not to spoil it with my usual anti-PHC negativity. I might see it, or more likely, rent it, just for the local MN stuff, the Fitzgerald Theater and all. But the music, both on the radio show and the film, makes me want to... just... shoot myself in the face. Some great musicians doing some terrible, hokey bullshit. And why Lindsay Lohan? An untalented rack of lanugo-covered bones with a pair of tits hanging off it. Oops, that's a bit negative, isn't it? Sorry. See, I just shouldn't talk about anything Garrison Keillor-related. I'll see myself out...

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 08:44 PM

And well you should---GK is a talent. One can only wish one had such a talent for story telling, writing, and all the rest. Forget Lindsay Lohan---a very minor part of the film. Probaly for ticket sales.   

The talent in that film is awesome---and this week's TIME magazine had a nice piece w/ Streep who ---as she says---is not a star---but an actor who works in films she believes in.

Perhaps in MN you don't like GK---but that does not negate his great talent. Like it or not.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 10:58 PM

Hey, Bill, I said I was leaving. No need to kick me in the ass on the way out. ;)

But, yeah, I won't argue about his talent. He's entertaining, in some ways, even I'll agree. But perhaps you do have to be Minnesotan, or even upper-Midwestern, to realise what's so incredibly annoying about him. Ah, well.

---Lepus Rex

Subject: Altman/Keillor A Prairie Home Companion
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 09:32 AM

Saw this the other night, and enjoyed some of it. But it isn't a very good film. Two problems. First, the script. The writing was pretty damn bad. The other problem, Garrison Keillor. Perhaps the only thing that can be said in favor of his writing, was that he was able to write himself as a self-absorbed, egomaniacal twit quite well (unless it was the professional screenwriter who obviously tried to save the script deserves the credit).

That said, there are some brilliant performances by the actors. Meryl Streep was good, but she didn't come close to nailing the Minnesota accent. The master of the Minnesota accent remains Frances McDormand in 'Fargo'. The Virginia Madsen and Kevin Kline characters were pointless, and did nothing to move the tedious dim witted plot along. There were other characters that easily could have been cut.

Art direction and the look of the film was stunning and very Altman. That diner (which is apparently in St Paul?) was very cool.

Bottom line for me--I'd much rather Altman had done a film on the original: the Grand Old Opry. A Prairie Home Companion is just a rip off that, a cash cow for Keillor & his station. And Keillor's condescension towards those he writes about (and made his fortune mocking) was palpable in this film. Which left a bad taste in my mouth, just like his radio show does.

---

Two threads combined. -JoeClone

Subject: RE: Altman/Keillor A Prairie Home Companion
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 09:45 AM

Sounds like you're some sort of masochist. You don't like Keillor or his radio show, so you go to see the film of the radio show and surprise, surprise, you don't like it ?

Perhaps we can look forward to a balanced view from elsewhere.

Subject: RE: Altman/Keillor A Prairie Home Companion
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 10:05 AM

So combine the threads.

I think I gave MY balanced view of the film. ;-)

No, you have it wrong. I often listen to the program, when they have music acts on I want to hear. This show has had some great music over the years, and as a music program it has always worked for me.

What has never worked for me is Keillor. I think he is a fraud and it is a fluke that he is the one who became the 'star' vehicle for the program. I always imagined I could have really loved the show if Tom Keith had been the emcee instead of the sneering, self-absorbed Keillor.

Also, I'm commenting upon an Altman film that was about Keillor. Not so much about anything else besides Keillor, really. Which is probably why the film is so superficial--just like Keillor.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 10:35 AM

Actually, if you are going to see the film for the musicians who made Garrison famous (because god knows, he didn't make it to stardom based upon his music or writing talent), you will be disappointed.

This film is a star vehicle film, with heavy hitters. Lily Tomlin & John C Reilly and Woody Harrelson steal the show, as well as make it the only thing worth watching for, IMO.

And Pop Wagner one of the Twin Cities best musicians? Please. Apparently, you haven't heard many good musicians from the Twin Cities. Pop is a two bit phony, just like Keillor. Does the lariat act, so you don't notice what a bad musician he is.

I did see Peter Ostroushko (I thought) a couple of times. But those going to the film to see those musicians will be disappointed. They are relegated to non-star background status, just like on the real Prairie Home show. This is a movie all about stars. Lots and lots of shiny, shiny stars.

Meryl might claim not to be a star, but her mere presence in this film overwhelms the character she portrays, which is completely out of place in this cast. And no coincidence she is pining in unrequited love for the Garrison character. Like I said, this is a move about Garrison Keillor The Star, and His All Star Movie Star Cast. And I thought Lindsay Lohan did well enough in this film, considering she is a young actor. I've never seen her in anything but this film, but she held her own with some real acting heavyweights (which doesn't include Garrison Keillor, by the way).

I went to see the film with our son and daughter in law (they are 20 somethings), who asked us if we wanted to go with them to see it. They went to it because it was an Altman film, not because it was a fictional version of a contemporary radio show rip off of the Grand Ole Opry. They were pretty disappointed.

As I left the theatre somewhat bewildered as to why Altman took on this film, I couldn't help but think that if he has a somewhat cynical view of Garrison as either a writer or a radio personality, he did at least make a film that worked for me on one level: that he made Garrison look vapid and superficial. Whether that was his intention (as it sometimes is with Altman's leading characters), then I would have to say the film worked on that level.

It is always hard to tell with Altman, though. His choices of heroes and villains are never simple or easy.

The main problem with this film was a complete absence of conflict and dramatic tension. Comedy needs conflict and tension, just like drama does, in order to work well. This film had none of that. Even the villain wasn't villanous.

Bottom line was, I didn't care about any of the characters or the story. If it was intended to be a "Nashville" sort of film (which I kept thinking because of Lily Tomlin), it really didn't work for me.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 11:04 AM

For those of you going for the music, there is a song with Prudence Johnson, one or two with Jearlyn Steele.

But most of the musicians were extras, and didn't perform. Pop Wagner didn't perform, because he, along with Spider John, were extras. I didn't notice Butch Thompson on piano, but I did notice him on clarinet, I think it was. Peter Ostroushko I thought I saw in the band on one song, but he was blocked from view.

If it is the music you are interested in, I'd buy the soundtrack (though I didn't think it was anything extraordinary). As someone else noted, the Bad Jokes song is the highlight of the film musically.

All in all, this film is a perfectly fluffy piece of Good Christian Family Entertainment.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 11:15 AM

Was there also a spring from your seat spronging up your ass as well there Guest(s)???.........LOL......geeziz.........

You either love it or hate it (PHC and GK) and that's the way you'll see the movie. So if, like Lepus, GK makes you want to shoot yourself in the face, then either skip this movie or lock and load!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 11:26 AM

Well of course the movie is about Garrison Keillor, and/or his alter egos. I plan to see it this week. PHC wouldn't exist, not this long, without Keillor. I get a bit tired of the christian stuff myself, but I overlook that to enjoy the rest of it.

SRS

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 11:44 AM

This wasn't a Garrison or PHC love fest, it was an Altman film. Like it or not, a lot of people who have never listened to or heard of Garrison Keillor or PHC are going to see this film, and judge it as a film.

They are, of course, not likely to post here.

I went to see the film because I'm an Altman fan, not a Keillor fan.

And actually, I don't see the world as "either/or" like you obviously do, Mr. catspaw. Some of us find life to be a bit more complex than that.

Bottom line, die hard True Believer PHC/Garrison Keillor fans will love this film, because it allows them to revel in something they love. I would, of course, expect to find a lot of them in a folk music forum.

Altman film fans (whom I would not expect to find in large numbers here) will be disappointed.

As I said, I kept trying to compare the film to "Nashville", one of Altman's classic films. If I were to describe this film to someone who is not familiar with PHC, I would say it is an light hearted Altman film about aging and dying. Part of the problem with the script is we are bludgeoned with the death part of it--one of many reasons the screenwriting is sub-par.

For those of you who really want to just see a "behind the scenes peek" at PHC, with a silly, pointless plot about the players that is nothing more than an extension of one of PHC's commercial bits, you will really love this movie. Especially because you can say "such great actors" agreed to do it.

The actors agreed to be part of this film because it is an Altman film, not because it was Garrison Keillor script and thinly disguised fictional story of his life as the radio host of PHC.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 12:51 PM

After reading some reviews over at rottentomatoes.com, I'd say this review most closely mirrors my reaction to the film.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: artbrooks
Date: 18 Jun 06 - 12:58 PM

Personally, I have never heard of Altman...but then, I don't go to movies much, watch a lot of TV, or pay attention to the names of producers, directors, actors or soundmen. We went because herself is a PHC fan, although far from rabid, and she had the afternoon off.

I enjoyed it, moderately, although I thought it would have been better without the two loud-mouthed singing sisters. (Was that Streep and Tomlin? I guess that the last time Lily Tomlin passed my consciousness was when she was on "Laugh In".) Anyway, Keillor did his usual good job portraying a bumbling idiot...and he is too successful to really be one. Guy Noir was really the lead character, and that was something else I could have done without. A few laughs, especially the Bad Joke Song. The popcorn was good.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Jun 06 - 09:45 AM

Lepus: "But the music, both on the radio show and the film, makes me want to... just... shoot myself in the face."
-------
Don't just leave here, Lepus, go see a doctor and ask "What's wrong? Why do I feel such anger over unimportant things?"

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 19 Jun 06 - 11:20 AM

"Anger?" Shooting yourself in the face is usually an act of despair, not anger, leeneia. Shooting someone else in the face would be an act of anger. And I was obviously being facetious, anywhoo, so chill the fuck out.

The music that makes me want to "shoot myself in the face," by the way, is... well, the music's lovely, on it's own, of course. I just don't care for it when it's accompanying the fake commercials for "Farmer Ole's Corn-Based Hemmorhoid Relief Ointment," or whatever. Which is every five minutes or so. I was in the car, this weekend, and turned on the radio. Music. Great stuff. Don't know who it was... something with mandolins. So I looked to see what channel I was on... "Oh, MPR. This must be Prairie Home fucking Companion." And my heart sank, as I knew some hokey fart-based comedy was sure to follow. Bleh. "Hee-Haw" of the fucking North, I swear.

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST,van lingle
Date: 19 Jun 06 - 12:17 PM

Now Lepus, just calm down and have a few Powdemilk biscuits.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jun 06 - 10:19 PM

Catsup is even better--it has natural mellowing agents.

Cat-sup. Cat-sup. Cat-sup.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 19 Jun 06 - 11:57 PM

Sadistic bastards... Hah, well, at least neither of you mentioned that damned "Bebop-a-reebop Rhubarb Pie" song.

DAMN!
-
--Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jun 06 - 08:49 AM

There is no nostalgia worse than white middle class nostalgia, is there? I had hoped that with Altman doing this, it might be able to transcend the nostalgia schtick. No such luck, though.

Now, if it had just been a concert film, it might have been great. But as we saw with Jonathan Demme (another good director) with Neil Young, that isn't necessarily the case.

Which is why I'm beginning to form the opinion that great feature film directors do not make this sort of music film or music documentary well.

There are exceptions, of course. Scorcese & 'The Last Waltz' comes to mind. But nothing else does.

Now, 'Prairie Home' isn't in 'Reynaldo and Clara' territory, thank god. But the fact that film even comes to mind for something to compare this to sends off alarm bells in me head.

It is just frighteningly and maddeningly mediocre for an Altman film. I do expect directors like Altman to make a stinker now and then, and even to make a not very good film technically, but have it be good for other reasons. Spike Lee's 'Bamboozled' was like that. As was Altman's 'Three Women'.

But this film is just, hmmm. A couple of hours of mediocrity with a giggle here and there, and not very good music. The story concept was good. But the writing is just awful. We barely see any of the PHC regulars, except Robin & Linda & Jeralyn Steele. The band and the audience are used as props, and not to good effect at all.

The best thing I can say about the film was I enjoyed the actor's performances for the most part, and the theatre was air conditioned.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 20 Jun 06 - 05:20 PM

Well, looks like Guest is not the same same page as some of the major film critics (Ebert, NY Times,etc;)   Most are raves for a very warm hearted and enjoyable film---4 stars (some 3 1/2)

As to the writing---GK pretty much wrote it and it was up to his usual great quality. Where he finds the time for all this is beyond me---but, happily, he does.   

I will grant that those who do not listen to PHC on a regular basis (or at all) will miss a lot of the nuances but might still enjoy the film.   The cast is wonderfully talented and good at what they do in this film. Note that I have omitted Lohan from the raves---but, hey, you can't have everything.

Finally, the PHC cast is certainly featured and the great finale at the end really pulls that off--and, as I said earlier, the soundman is also prominently featured.

Relax and just enjoy some light hearted fun with a silly plot to move the story line along---radio shows don't work without it on film. Think back to films of the 40s---says Stage Door Canteen or other films about radio shows.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 21 Jun 06 - 11:37 AM

Lepus Rex said, in part:

But perhaps you do have to be Minnesotan, or even upper-Midwestern, to realise what's so incredibly annoying about him. Ah, well.

Ay bain from Minn-e-sota, ya know. (Although I've lived elsewhere for quite a long time.) And I find PHC and Keillor really great!

My Hoosier wife reognizes the accent of my Minnesota relatives (and mine, too!) on the show. And the laid-back, low pressure, somewhat diffident way of expression.

So you can't blame your sour attitude on being a Gopher, Lepus Rex!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 21 Jun 06 - 11:42 AM

An unidentified GUEST claimed:

And Keillor's condescension towards those he writes about (and made his fortune mocking) was palpable in this film.

Au contraire, mon cher! Keillor clearly loves these people. Far from mocking, he caresses them.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jun 06 - 12:37 PM

You forgot to say "in my opinion" Dave.

The LA Times review also comments about Keillor's condescending, derisory attitude towards those "he loves" (your claim). Others have too.

It is fine for you to love this film. Just as it is fine for others to detest it, and others (like myself) to feel pretty ambiguous about it.

There is no One Right Way of reacting to any film, even ones you want everyone to love because you do.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 21 Jun 06 - 04:28 PM

GUEST said:

And Keillor's condescension towards those he writes about (and made his fortune mocking) was palpable in this film.

You forgot to say "in my opinion", GUEST.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 22 Jun 06 - 02:08 PM

I haven't seen the film, but I'm a fan of the radio show. This show is so much more entertaining (to me) than so much else on radio today. Much of radio makes no pretense at having a format, but fills in time between comercials. There are far too few radio plays and story-tellers available today. I'm an old fart, and recall fondly sitting in front of the radio listening to this type of entertainment regularly.
Canada's CBC used to be a good source for this type of radio, but I've seen a drop off in the quality of programming here too.

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 24 Jun 06 - 04:03 PM

Forgot about this...

So: Dave, I didn't mean that Keillor is unpopular in Minnesota, but that perhaps it would be easier for a Minnesotan to understand what it is that I find so annoying about him. The same way some dude from the Ozarks might have a better understanding of what's insulting about "The Beverly Hillbillies" than someone from New England would. And, yeah, Keillor's fairly popular among people who listen to public radio. But I'm not alone in feeling that he (and his white, turtleneck'd upper-middle-class audience) isn't laughing with us, but at us.

I don't think he loves "these people," at all. I doubt he even knows any of "these people." He's a rich, pretentious, F. Scott Fiztgerald-fetishising phoney, a WASP from Brooklyn Park masquerading as an outstate-gomer-made-good. He is not one of "these people," doesn't seem to know them, and wouldn't like their usually standoffish and conservative asses if he did know them. This makes him an outsider, and makes his humour at the expense of "these people" insulting. Uh, in my opinion, of course. :)

And I've mentioned this before, I think, but… The moment I realised what an out-of-touch snob Keillor is was during one of his many Jesse Ventura rants. He made some disparaging comments about Ventura's diction and accent, and said that he'd never met anyone from Minnesota who "talks like that." No, I s'pose Keillor probably doesn't hear that accent, much, around his $710,000 St. Paul mansion, or his new 3.5 million dollar Manhattan apartment. To hear people talk "like that," he'd have to go out and talk to real, working-class (*shudder*) Twin Citians. And that's just too much to ask, even of a stout-hearted Norwegian farm boy like Keilor. :P

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 24 Jun 06 - 04:30 PM

Keillor owes a lot of his style of humor to Lee Hays. Not so much Will Rogers or other humorists but if you listen closely there is a lot of Lee in there including the bass singing.

Haven't seen the film yet but I can wait.

Frank

Subject: RE: Review: PHC - The Movie
From: John Hardly
Date: 24 Jun 06 - 05:02 PM

I'm with Lepus on this one. And that's weird because I have always been a big fan of PHC. I have years worth of home recordings of it from the 80s.

But something happened a few years back. I don't know what -- can't even connect it with a particular date. But suddenly GK got bitter. Mean, even.

I'm not sure what others meant about the "Christian stuff", but GK has always poked fun at the fundamental Christianity he claims to have been raised in. And as for me, and almost every Christian I know who listens to the show -- we actually LIKED that humor. Felt it was well-"deserved" and accurate.

Not so anymore. It's as bitter as the rest of his schtick. And he's SO above it -- just as he's so above the midwestern quirks, habits, "values".

The schtick used to be his own self-effacing humor about being enamored with USA's Eastern seaboard elite (elitist) culture -- but knowing how absurd this humorously bold aspiration was -- and that humor used to cut both ways -- pointing out the shallowness of that to which he so aspired.

And the music that he chose to highlight in the show always put an explanation point to that absurd elitist determination of what was culture. He chose neither the pop music, nor the Eastern elite's, NPRish veiw of what the unwashed masses should be listening to.

But don't give GK too much credit for introducing that music to the world at large. EVERY NPR/Public Radio station around the country had already beaten GK to the punch of having regular folk programming. Heck, Mike Flynn precedes PHC by YEARS. Even my small local station -- WVPE -- was playing folk a few years before PHC.