film of the day

do not hasten to bid me adieu...

Robert Altman's final triumph, A Prairie Home Companion (2006), based on Garrison Keillor's radio broadcast, is as delicious as a fresh batch of Powdermilk Biscuits.

But the intimacy and emotions of the brilliant ensemble cast in this film is not baked like that fictitious sponsor. The Fitzgerald Theatre and the radio show are in danger of being leveled and made into a parking lot. I've been a fan of the show for nearly the entire 30 year run, so it's a bit hard to separate fact from this loving ode to old-time radio.

But I was smiling throughout.

The scenes of Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep, both reminicing in a nostalgia filled dressing room and on stage performing the moving "Goodbye To My Mama," are just beautiful, and this film has all the familiar elements of the Altman touch: overlapping dialogue as though unscripted, and the admiration of The Performing Artist.