Trailer Trash: A Prairie Home Companion

A Prairie Home Companion – Picturehouse Films
Behind these curtains lies the most fun you’ll have at the movies this summer, and you can quote them on that

Welcome to A Prairie Home Companion, the poor man’s hillbilly version of A Mighty Wind. The term Prairie Home Companion can also be used to describe my very best friend I had growing up; an old wooden plank with a rotting goldfish nailed to it with a bent rusty nail that I hid in underneath the haystacks in our barn, which eventually gave me lockjaw, but hey, I had to learn how to kiss sometime. Did I mention I come from a small town?

Giving Ben Stein, Casey Affleck and Jorja Fox a run for their money: Keillor

I figured I’d give the trailer for APHC a gander after Robert Altman’s mind-numbing acceptance speech for receiving an honorary Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards Show. How old did he say he was? 81? The man doesn’t look a day over 80. I guess this is what Scorsese can look forward to in about 20 years… I’m a gigantic Robert Altman fan, and by that I mean I’ve seen Popeye twice. Thank you, Mr. Altman, for helping unleash the frantic and impulsive comedic stylings of one Robin Williams onto the unsuspecting heartland.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

OK, usual opening green screen “The following preview has been approved for all audiences, bla, bla, bla… The film advertised has been rated PG-13”, alright, let’s keep the ball roll—HOLD THE PHONE!!! “PG-13… FOR RISQUE HUMOR?” What the fudge? Has anyone ever noticed this before for any other MPAA warning? I’m totally pleading ignorance on this ‘cuz I sure as hell haven’t! Cripes, they may just as well write “For cheeky shenanigans and tomfoolery”. Wow, I’m already sold on this from that warning alone. I can already picture the old ladies and wrinkly dudes exclaiming “Heavens to Betsy!” and “By Gatsby!” (respectively) at this so-called ‘risque’ humor. I’m SO going to a matinee showing of this.

No nip slip, no coke booger, no drunken stumbling… kudos for getting your life back on track, Kate Moss

A Prairie Home Companion Radio Variety Show Founder Garrison Keillor (playing himself) opens up the trailer with his narcoleptic droning voice which is about as effective as an elephant tranquilizer dart in the neck after a heaping bowl of pasta in creamy sauce with pancetta and wild mushrooms. Boasting an all-star cast (including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin and George Cloo-uh, Kevin Kline) Tommy Lee Jones is suspiciously absent throughout this trailer. And what about that dude who was in that movie with Ernest Borgnine? All I can say is I want me a piece of Maya Rudolph’s delicious freckles.

You see her boobies in Candyman

The opening shot of the curtain going up with distributor’s Picturehouse logo projected on it is sheer, beautiful genius. Simple yet effective, it gets my attention and I like that. It’s also nice to see that the Time-Warner Company legal line is slightly illegible; it’s like saying “Sure, we’re taking over the world, but modesty is our strong suit.”

“Radio Like You’ve Never Seen It Before”. Nice wordplay on the tagline, I chuckled a bit on the inside, then I punched myself in the stomach for thinking that such an obvious pun was even remotely funny. Apparently Picturehouse invites us to the most fun we’ll have at the movies this summer… uh, excuse me, but I believe there’s a little something starring Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore called Lucky You which has yet to “wow” us, thank you very much…

The Hillbilly Rat Pack

Bitching and moaning notwithstanding, I’m anxiously awaiting this film’s release. I’m an ardent country music aficionado and a sucker for any well-done semi-autobiographical movie. Let’s hope this one pays off. The only glitch so far is Woody Harrelson’s character, and only by association but to a lesser extent, John C. Reilly’s; scruffy rascally scalawags with devil-may-care attitudes who like to ruffle some feathers and step on a few toes all the while entertaining the masses, on live radio no less. Been there, done that, but maybe they’ll pull it off. I guess that’s where the ‘risque’ comedy gets its branding.

This has been an AOL/Time-Warner presentation

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