This documentary aired recently as a 90-minute episode on PBS's American Masters series; it is directed by Peter Rosen. Here is an up-close-and personal glimpse into the busy, creative, and fulfilling life of Garrison Keillor who has been compared to both Mark Twain and Will Rogers. His public radio show A Prairie Home Companion celebrated its 35th anniversary in July 2009. It has more than 4 million listeners each week and is carried by 590 stations. Robert Altman's 2006 film A Prairie Home Companion brought Keillor and characters he has written about to the big screen.

In this documentary, filmed over the course of a year, the humorist, music lover, writer, and commentator opens up several different sides of himself as he talks about his life, travels to small Midwestern towns, and presents his radio program. Keillor muses on his love of writing which began when he was 13 years old; he states his respect for Southern writers including Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner; he revels in the slow unfolding of the characters he has come up with to populate his fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon; and he reminisces about the importance of place and his fascination with both St. Paul, Minnesota, and Manhattan, New York, where he has owned an apartment since 1988.

One of the most interesting things about this documentary is that Keillor clearly enjoys being in the company of Midwesterners. His high regard for them registers in stark contrast to the usual exaggerated cinematic portraits of this region of the country that ridicule the activities and mindsets of ordinary people who happen to like going to church, ice fishing, and singing the National Anthem in public gatherings.

The humorist admits that when he was young he had an aversion to "living an ordinary life" and yearned to do extraordinary things. Now at the age of 67, he looks at things differently: "That's what we get. Ordinary lives. And it is good enough." Keillor admits that he is a "fortunate man." He obviously loves what he does and does it well with imagination and good cheer.


The DVD includes over an hour of bonus material including outtakes, a talk by Garrison Keillor to students, and an interview with Robert Altman and Keillor.