A Love Song for Bobby Long

This may be one of john travolta's finest acting roles. The critic reviews were lukewarm, and it seems the movie wasn't released in many theaters for people to see, which is a shame. This is a gem of a film. It takes place in new orleans and follows the lives of three unlikely roommates. Two drunken men living in a dilapidated house of a dead woman, and the woman's estranged only daughter who comes to claim her inheritance-a third of the house. With no place to go, the three stay together under the same roof and a friendship somehow grows, like grass through a sidewalk crack. Well acted, and well directed, there are times the pace of the film seems to slacken but it doesn't take away from the story being told. All in all, one of my favorite films no one saw this year.

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.

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.

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.

New Orleans is a major character in this film. Not the French Quarter as we usually see but the slums that gave us the music and character of this unique place in all the world. You have to ask yourself why and how did a first time unknown director get two major stars to make this budget film in three weeks in August of 2004. The answer is script, script and script. A good story seems harder to find than $100 million in LA. We have remakes of remakes of TV shows and comic books. The story is very good; the look of the film is great and Travolta and Johansson bring their gifts to the lead roles. Deb Unger is particularly fetching and dignified. The real New Orleans that is probably gone forever after the Katrina disaster is reason enough to cherish this film and add it to your permanent collection. Also loved the way JT used that old Gibson LG-1 as a prop and actually played it and sang a few tunes!