75
Metascore
38 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttNot since Woody Allen's "Radio Days" has anyone created such a cinematic Valentine to the wonderfully imaginative medium of radio as A Prairie Home Companion.
- 90VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyRib-ticklingly funny at times and genial as all get-out.
- 90New York Magazine (Vulture)New York Magazine (Vulture)Sometimes you forget how great an actor is, then he or she is reborn in an Altman movie.
- 90Village VoiceVillage VoiceKeillor's modest subservience to Altman's group dynamic feels downright gallant, and in the context of the veteran director's most humanistic movie by a wide margin, it certainly has its rewards.
- 88Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversTake a swig of this moonshine. There's magic in it.
- 88PremiereGlenn KennyPremiereGlenn KennyAs for this film's esteemed director, I don't remember getting such sheer pleasure out of an Altman movie since . . . hmm, lemme look at the filmo . . . hmm—"The Player"? Not so much . . . "O.C. and Stiggs"? I wish . . . Um, "Popeye"? More likely, but . . . Ah-"A Wedding." Yeah, that’s it, "A Wedding." Whoa. That was, like, almost 30 years ago.
- 83The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinAltman and Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion is fittingly both a celebration and a winning example of the joys of collaboration.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanWhat sustains the film is the performers' belief in their shaggy-dog selves, which is more than just talent - it's faith.
- 70The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyA Prairie Home Companion has many lovely and funny moments, but there's not a lot going on. Dramatically, it's mellow to the point of inertia. There may not be any sweat, but there isn't any heat, either.
- 63ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThis combination of storytelling, singing, and corny comedy is sometimes a little too slow and long-winded for its own good, but at least the aftertaste isn't bitter.