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Laramie Movie Scope:
A Love Song For Bobby Long

The hard edge of the Big Easy

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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January 21, 2005 -- “The Love Song of Bobby Long” is an offbeat story of two men bound together by their mutual shame, Bobby Long, played by John Travolta and Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht of “The Recruit”). Their pointless existence in a rundown house on the edge of New Orleans is shaken up by the arrival of a young girl, Purslane Hominy Will, played by Scarlett Johanssen of “Lost in Translation.” Will is the daughter of the woman, a singer, who owns the house where the two men are staying. Will's mother has died and she has come to take possession of the house.

Long and Pines claim that Will's mother left the house to them in her will. Pines is supposed to be writing a book about the life of Bobby Long, a former professor of literature, but the two spend all their time drinking. The three work out an uneasy truce. The men vacate a room for Will to stay in. The young woman cleans the place up and starts reforming the two drunks. The men teach the girl and arrange for her to attend high school (she had dropped out). The old house is packed with books, and Long and Pines often spout literary passages. Even though the two men have gone to see, you can still see fading embers of greatness in them. Will, on the other hand, has potential. The question is, will she reach her potential, or become ensnared in the lives of these two lost souls?

The truce is broken when the young girl finds out the men have lied to her about her mother. A final revelation changes their dynamic once again. This is a well-written story with excellent performances by all. Because most of the story takes place in the house, it has the feel of a stage play, rather than a movie, but there are some lovely scenic outdoor shots, too. The film lingers around the seedy, but scenic fringes of New Orleans, in cozy bars and back yards. The film is shot in New Orleans and that authenticity helps the film. There is excellent use of music in the film to convey both emotion and message, including a song sung by Travolta.

The film portrays ordinary people and it has unusual twists in the story. The final act of the film is very moving. Based on a novel by Ronald Everett Capps, the story seems a lot more like a true story than a work of fiction in many ways. Films like this are rare in modern American cinema. This film rates a B+.

For more information on this film, including about (synopsis, cast and crew, production notes), views (message board), gallery (video clips, photos), click on this link to the official home page of A Love Song for Bobby Long. This is a flash site, but it loads fast.

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Copyright © 2005 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)