A Love Song for Bobby Long

2004, Drama, 1h 59m

100 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

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critics consensus

A Love Song for Bobby Long gets by for a few bars on the strength of its core cast, but the story's preponderance of kooky clichés falls flat. Read critic reviews

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A Love Song for Bobby Long Photos

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Movie Info

Bobby Long (John Travolta), a former professor turned full-time drunkard, and Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), Long's former teaching assistant, spend their days drinking and swapping literary quotations in a New Orleans house owned by a deceased lounge singer. When the singer's daughter, Pursy (Scarlett Johansson), shows up to reclaim her mother's property, Bobby and Lawson try to grift their way into keeping the home while attempting to convince the high-school dropout to pursue an education.
  • Rating:
    R (Some Sexual References|Language)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Shainee Gabel
  • Producer:
    Shainee Gabel, David Lancaster, Paul Miller, Bob Yari
  • Writer:
    Shainee Gabel
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     original
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $159.2K
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Lionsgate Films
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround

Cast & Crew

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 Blosjo
Sean
Bernard Johnson
Tiny
Shainee Gabel
Director
Shainee Gabel
Writer
Shainee Gabel
Producer
David Lancaster
Producer
Paul Miller
Producer
Bob Yari
Producer
Anson Downes
Associate Producer
Randall Emmett
Executive Producer
George Furla
Executive Producer
Brad Krevoy
Executive Producer
Linda Favila
Associate Producer
Chad Marting
Associate Producer
Elliot Davis
Cinematography
Lee Percy
Film Editing
Sig De Miguel
Casting
Sharon Lomofsky
Production Design
Adele Plauche
Art Director
Leonard R. Spears
Set Decoration
Jill M. Ohanneson
Costume Design
Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for A Love Song for Bobby Long

All Critics (100) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (57)
Full Review… Nell Minow Common Sense Media Full Review… Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness Full Review… Ann Hornaday Washington Post Full Review… Moira MacDonald Seattle Times Full Review… Carla Meyer San Francisco Chronicle Full Review… Connie Ogle Miami Herald Full Review… Shirley Sealy Film Journal International Full Review… Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena Full Review… John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) Full Review… Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Full Review… Sean Burns Philadelphia Weekly Full Review… Jeff Vice Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
View All Critic Reviews (100)

Audience Reviews for A Love Song for Bobby Long

  • Jun 30, 2013
    A Love Song for Bobby Long is a compelling and touching film about family. After her estranged mother dies Pursy Will inherits her house and discovers that it comes with two eccentric men who were her mother's close friends; and through them she re-discovers her mother and cleans up her life. The film has a good cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, John Travolta, and Gabriel Macht; who all deliver excellent performances. Travolta in particular gives a stunning performance that's unlike anything that he's done before. The writing is also quite good, with some very strong dialog. Though a tad melodramatic at times, A Love Song for Bobby Long is an impressive and moving character drama.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Apr 28, 2011
    Travolta at his best, and Scarlett Johansson looking as sexy as ever in this moving, authentic, and quite brilliant drama. Set in New Orleans, it has a charming, old, and worn look. Maybe too slow for some, but well worth it for those that can relate.
    Jeffrey M Super Reviewer
  • Dec 09, 2010
    This was different and generally an interesting character study of three people.The down side was too much profanity, too much bickering and too much "attitude.So, if you like good acting and appreciate outstanding cinematography, which this movie boasts and don't mind soap-opera-type stories, you should like this film very much. This has a certain fascination to it, but I got tired of the constant profanity and negative personalities of two of those three main characters so I lost interest by the halfway mark.
    Mouhannad S Super Reviewer
  • Jun 23, 2009
    Brilliant. John Travolta is so utterly lovable in this. The whole plot of the movie is fantastic and all of the actors perform amazingly. One of my favorites, for sure.
    Rachel F Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

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