It's been quite a week in Lake Wobegon

For over 30 years, the radio broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion" has thrilled listeners with its folk charm and Midwestern witticisms. The show's host, Garrison Keillor, weaves comic tales of frigid Lutherans, hard-boiled gumshoes and powdermilk biscuits that are touching in their sentimentality. Every Saturday evening, he relates news from the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, "where the women are strong, the men are good looking and all the children are above average."\nFor fans of the show, watching the movie version of "A Prairie Home Companion" is like sitting down for coffee with an old friend. This intimacy should not discourage those who are unfamiliar with the radio broadcast. There is a welcome feeling of warm authenticity about the movie. It is a film that explores the relationship between host, crew and performer, both backstage and onstage, as they struggle with the dying medium of the radio variety show. It's not about the real-to-life radio show, but rather a semi-mythical counterpart that borrows the well-loved Fitzgerald Theater for one final performance before the axe falls and the building is demolished.\nThe fictional mainstays of the radio show are worked in seamlessly among the authentic radio personalities. The star-studded cast is entirely believable and equally capable of evoking laughter and nostalgia. Kevin Kline does a fantastic job of translating Guy Noir's verbal slapstick into onstage physical humor. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly give a memorable performance as Dusty and Lefty, cowboy musicians who croon lyrics such as "Liquor she said, and liquor I did, and I don't work there any more." These humorous songs punctuate a rich sound track of American folk - a defining feature of the radio show. \nThere is an underlying surrealism to the movie, a morbidity that reflects the occasionally somber absurdity of the radio production. The inclusion of the character of Chuck Akers appears to be a tribute to the real life Chet Atkins, who was a frequent guest to the show before his death in 2001. His character is reaped by an angelic visitor, leaving Keillor to advocate the immortal nature of radio personalities and explain to the grief-struck crew how the show must go on.\n"A Prairie Home Companion" will fail to hold the attention of the Hollywood demographic addicted to overblown comedy and hyperactive ultraviolence. "Kill Bill" it ain't. However, it will profoundly resonate with those movie-goers inducted into the world of folk music and comic Americana by movies like "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." Best of all, there is already a sequel in the works - so to speak. Garrison Keillor and "A Prairie Home Companion" will be performing live at the Indiana University Auditorium on February 1st, 2007.