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Though it’s not one of Robert Altman’s masterpieces, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION is still a fitting closure to the career of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The sly, dry and somber humor of Garrison Keillor works well with Altman’s signature style. The film is equal part concert film, backstage dramedy and an ode to witty radio entertainment, which the PRAIRIE HOME radio show has singularly kept alive long past the time when the form of entertainment has died everywhere else.

The plot is simple; it’s the last performance of the PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION radio show before an axeman (Tommy Lee Jones, THE FUGITIVE) sells the radio station to some corporation. Keillor playing himself moves along with the show as if it’s like any other. He’s not a sentimental fella. Singing duo Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Meryl Streep, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, & Lily Tomlin, I HEART HUCKABEE’S), however, reminisce about the good ole days and how their family started performing to Yolanda’s daughter Lola (Lindsay Lohan, MEAN GIRLS). Dusty (Woody Harrelson, WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP) and Lefty (John C. Reilly, CHICAGO) perform their humorous country and western tunes.

The pregnant stage manager Molly (Maya Rudolph, 50 FIRST DATES) just tries to keep things working as best as she can. Veteran crooner Chuck Akers (L.Q. Jones, CASINO) is having a fling with the lunch lady (Marylouise Burke, SIDEWAYS) and Donna (Sue Scott), the make-up lady, is sad to see the show end. And as if he strolled in from another story, Guy Noir (Kevin Kline, A FISH CALLED WANDA), an out-of-work private eye, works the show as head of security. A mysterious woman (Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS), dressed in a white trench coat, catches Guy’s eye and may have the answers everyone is looking for.

The key to understanding the tone of the film is in a passage where Keillor describes the people of Minnesota as a people who believe that if today’s a good day than they know the bad days are just around the corner. This dark humorous look at life permeates the backstage exploits. Take note to how the death is handled. It embodies the feelings and themes.

If one is familiar with the radio show, they will be satisfied, because for the most part the movie is just a filmed performance for most of the running time. We get lots of folksy songs, Keillor’s signature stories and humorous advertisements and classic radio routines, including a funny sound effects segment performed by Tom Keith. Keillor has a respect for the radio performers of the past and honors them with his slickly performed show. Altman in turns does the same with the film, capturing a look at how radio variety shows run. It captures the vibe, but never feels dated.

The cast is stellar, bringing the right feel to the material. Though he doesn’t have the experience in front of a camera, Keillor is a natural performer whose subtle laconic style in the behind-the-scenes moments and smooth delivery during the on-stage portions makes for smart comedy. Having also written the script, Keillor masterfully balances both highbrow and lowbrow humor with the same narrow-eyed sarcasm, making it flow effortlessly. Other highlights include Streep and Tomlin’s backstage banter, Streep’s musical performances, a lowbrow tune about bad jokes from Dusty and Lefty and Kline’s droll performance as a signature movie character who has been forgotten in modern cinema.

In the end, the film captures the radio show for prosperity. But we also get a bit of Keillor’s philosophy on life as well. We conclude that all things in life come to an end eventually. Keillor is unsentimental about that fact and has come to accept it as a part of living. Altman’s film does the same. Keillor tells Lola at one point that he’s not going to ask to be remembered. It’s either going to happen or it’s not — and he’s not going to beg. There’s a classic dignity in that idea that encapsulates the film. Altman never asked to be remembered, but he will be because of what he has accomplished. The closing moment of this film is poignant knowing that it is Robert Altman’s closing moment. So I ask, whom is Virginia Madsen coming for in the end?