Arts & Entertainment>Movies
from the October 13, 2006 edition

New on DVD: A Prairie Home Companion

A Prairie Home Companion (PG-13)

If you thought Robert Altman's valentine to Garrison Keillor's own private Minnesota, "A Prairie Home Companion," was only for Keillor converts (and you don't happen to be one), then read no further. But if you are, then this DVD is for you. It takes delicious advantage of the sensational cast: Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Kline, to name a few. They sit for interviews about one another and the director, perform in extended musical numbers, and flesh out the standard documentary-style backstage antics sufficiently that the extras are almost more fun than the movie. Almost. Few DVDs merit the "Play All" button, but this is one of them. Grade: A

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