A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

Director:

Shainee Gabel

Writers (WGA):

Ronald Everett Capps (novel)
Shainee Gabel (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The heart is a lonely hunter.

Plot:

A headstrong young woman returns to New Orleans after the death of her estranged mother.

Plot Keywords:

Lie | Louisiana | Drunk | Book | Narrator

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

John Travolta	...	Bobby Long
Scarlett Johansson	...	Pursy Will
Gabriel Macht	...	Lawson Pines
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Georgianna
Dane Rhodes	...	Cecil
David Jensen	...	Junior
Clayne Crawford	...	Lee
Sonny Shroyer	...	Earl
Walter Breaux	...	Ray
Carol Sutton	...	Ruthie
Warren Kole	...	Sean (as Warren Blosjo)
Bernard Johnson	...	Tiny
Gina 'Ginger' Bernal	...	Waitress
Douglas M. Griffin	...	Man #1 (as Douglas Griffin)
Earl Maddox	...	Man #2

Also Known As:

Canzone per Bobby Long, Una (Italy) [it]
Love Song (France) [fr]
Lovesong für Bobby Long (Germany) [de]
Secretos del pasado (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Uma Canção de Amor para Bobby Long (Brazil) [pt]
Una canción del pasado (Spain) (literal title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for language including some sexual references.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) (uncut) | Germany:6 | Brazil:16 | USA:R (certificate #41073) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (cut) | Malaysia:18SX | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Sweden:7

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Destination Films

Trivia:

The production ran into budgetary problems halfway through. Several background extras were brought to a New Orleans location, fitted for costumes, fed dinner, and then sent home without pay because their scene had been cut. Some New Orleans retailers complained that thousands of dollars worth of clothes were returned unused because the scenes they were bought for were never filmed.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Bobby and Lawson are in the bedroom dressing for Pursey's graduation, Bobby is sitting putting on his shoes first on one side of the bed, then on the other side (watch the books in the background).

Quotes:

Lawson Pines: New Orleans is a siren of a city. A place of fables and illusion. A place Lorraine had to escape from and Bobby and I had to escape to. Away from Alabama, away from lives that no longer belong to us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Praying Ground Blues

A Bitter Tale of Love, Friendship and Synergy of Invisible People

In Florida, the teenager Purslane Hominy Will (Scarlett Johansson) is lately informed by her mate that her mother passed away. She returns to her hometown, New Orleans, for the funeral and decided to live in her mother's house. However, she finds that the completely decayed house has two drunken dwellers: the former English professor Bobby Long (John Travolta) and his former assistant Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), who has unsuccessfully been trying to write a book about the life of Bobby Long for nine years. She decides to share the place living together with them and after their initial difficult relationship, they disclose deep secrets and improve their lives.

"A Love Song for Bobby Long" is a bitter tale of love, friendship and synergy of invisible people. With many citations of important writers, the dramatic story has excellent lines and is very positive, with good messages and a well resolved conclusion. The irregular John Travolta and always perfect Scarlett Johansson are splendid in the role of broken, suffered and hopeless characters, and the story is never corny. The music score with typical blues, songs and bands from New Orleans completes this surprisingly good movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Canção de Amor Para Bobby Long" ("A Love Song for Bobby Long")