Radio...on the Big Screen

I had the chance to catch the new movie, A Prairie Home Companion, yesterday. Anyone who's a fan of the show will enjoy it. I had a smile on my face from the opening credits throughout most of the rest of the film. I don't want to give away too much of the plot (what there is of one -- director Robert Altman has said "stories don't interest me so much"), but I will say there was a lot more music and performance in the movie than I was expecting. A lot of the show's regulars appear "as themselves." There isn't any of the political humor that PHC has developed, nor are there any religious (i.e., Lutheran/Catholic) jokes that I can recall. In fact, there's a lot less "storytelling" on the radio portion of the movie, and a lot more music. I'm not sure how well it will play outside of the Midwest or among the show's devoted following (since I'm part of both, I suppose), but the "all-star" cast should help open it up to a wider audience. I'd be interested to hear the reaction of someone who's seen the film unaware of the radio show. In any event, I highly recommend it.