A Love Song for Bobby Long

If you like movies that are character driven, then this is one for you to watch.

I have never seen Scarlett Johanssen in anything before. I have to say she impressed me here with her performance as Pursalane Hominy Will (ain't that a mouthful of a name!). Travolta does a nice turn as the titular Bobby Long, a former English professor who has fallen into the depths of an alcohol induced fantasy life. Gabriel Macht also does a good job as Lawson Pines, Bobby Long's former teaching assistant who has accompanied Long into his descent out of a sense of loyalty and guilt.

Perhaps the most interesting character, to me, is the one you never see, Lorraine Will; a New Orleans diva and the mother of young Pursey. Lorraine's death from alcoholism is what brings our characters together, and much like Alex in The Big Chill, we never once see or hear from Lorraine (not even in voice-over when Pursey reads a letter never sent to her by Lorraine), but we experience her through the people in this movie. It is a brave choice for the director to make, as I believe others would opt for more direct exposition via flashback, voice-overs, etc.

In the end, while there is a certain formulaic approach to the story, the characters are done well enough that you enjoy the story anyway.

Just a nice little movie. I really did not dislike any of it. It was just nice. I thought the characters were nice and most importantly the movie did not make judgements on any of them, even though two of the main characters were alchoholics. The acting was good and I am surprised nobody got at least an Oscar nod.

I also liked the locale and the music. It is funny because when this movie was out, I had never heard of it. I don't think it got the publicity that normal John travolta movies get. I also thought it was sad and eerie seeing New Orleans locales before Hurricane Katrina. Anyway, good movie.

Reviews for "A Love Song for Bobby Long" are falling in the range from terrible to fantastic. My vote is closer to the fantastic end. The movie gets off to a slow start, but starts to work about a quarter into the film. The story unfolds at a slow pace; fitting for its locale. The character development for the three main characters (Travolta, Johansson and Macht) is well-woven into the story. Each character is flawed and through a series of events overcomes their problem. That to me is interesting movie-making. No storyline or subplot was left hanging at the end. Maybe I was tired, but I didn't see the end of the movie coming in the first five minutes as one comment stated. This movie is worth your time.

Greetings again from the darkness. A good story overcomes many flaws for a movie and this is a prime example. Inconsistent direction by Shainee Gabel and a weak Cajun accent by John Travolta did not ruin what I found to be very interesting subject matter. Although we never see the local legend, Lorraine, her impact on this strange troupe of characters is beyond question. Watching Scarlett Johansson's quest to unlock her mother's mystique (and her own history) proved very enjoyable for this viewer. Johansson's Purcy Will (named after a weed) is both head strong and independent, while vulnerable and eager. Travolta's iconic Bobby Long and the even-keeled Gabriel Macht are nothing more than alcoholic shells of men who trade literature quotes when Purcy pops into their lives. Much of this is predictable and the flavor that is New Orleans plays a huge part of the feel of the film. Although the novel was difficult to bring to the screen, and improvements could have been made, this film should find an audience. Johansson may a bit "old" for this role (at the ripe age of 20) but her acting skills continue to grow and I love that she is always up for a challenge. She should be fun to watch for years to come.

This is a movie about two alcoholics. One middle-aged and the other on his way to that age. It's difficult to say which company they prefer, the bottle or each other.

Than the young girl arrives and shakes their world. You've seen that theme many times in movie history, but this is for once done in a very intelligent way. Gabriel Macht is very good and Scarlett Johansson, the greatest talent of her young generation, too. But Travolta is probably doing the part of his life so far. Travolta is now a character actor, if anyone is.

American movies don't always tell about these kind of losers in such a sympathetic way. But this one does. The end is sentimental, but never mind. The ride towards that is really worth seeing.