Review of A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) by Manny C — 30 Mar 2011

It's nice to see John Travolta actually digging into a role, especially after crap like Swordfish and (shudder) Basic. Travolta is Bobby Long, a failed literature professor from Alabama who turned his back on the world by hiding in a house in New Orleans. Travolta wonderfully mines charm and haunted grace in this white-haired boozer. Bobby Long is a mess, and so is the movie bearing his name. Debuting director Shainee Gabel oversees said mess, with ambition, but doesn't quite pull it off.

That's largely because Bobby Long is littered with one cliche after another. Bobby and his former teaching assistant Lawson (Gabriel Macht) are facing eviction when their benefactor, Lorraine, a singer, dies and leaves the house to her estranged daughter Pursy (Scarlett Johansson), who barges in from Florida to claim what's hers. But the three begin to bond, as Pursy develops a thing for Lawson, and long festering secrets are uncovered.

The actors do their best to transcend the cheap sentiment. Macht works wonders,lending his role real emotional heft, while Johansson (nominated for a Golden Globe for this role) is a dazzling presence. The fact that Macht and Johansson are so perfectly good-looking hampers the idea that they're supposed to be losers, however. But as good as the performances are, they can't quite give the script the palpable authenticity it calls for. Leave that to the amazing camera work by cinematographer Elliot Davis.