Lazily paced triangular drama set in New Orleans about a wayward teenager (Scarlett Johansson) who moves into the house left her by her late, estranged mother, only to find it occupied by two of her mother's friends: a former literature professor turned drunkard (John Travolta) haunted by past sins, and his young protege (Gabriel Macht), both of whom reform their broken lives to help her reclaim her future. As directed by first-timer Shainee Gabel, the uneven film is weighed down by too much Southern schmaltz, but has some good performances and imparts an ultimately redemptive message about family and forgiveness. Alcohol abuse and recurring rough and sexually crude language and humor, as well as some profanity. A-III -- adults. (R) 2004
Full Review
After a recent string of big-budget disappointments like "The Punisher," "Swordfish" and "Battlefield Earth," John Travolta stars as the lettered lush of the title in Shainee Gabel's debut feature, "A Love Song for Bobby Long," an uneven, lazily paced, triangular drama about family and forgiveness.
Based on the soon-to-be-published novel, "Off Magazine Street," by Ronald Everett Capps and set in New Orleans, the story centers on Bobby (Travolta), a brilliant, bloated and booze-soaked former literature professor haunted by past sins. He lives in a dilapidated house with his protege and former teaching assistant, Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), a part-time novelist and fellow full-time drunk. When not inebriated, Lawson is writing a book about his mentor, excerpts of which provide the film's narration.
The curtain rises with the funeral of Lorraine, Bobby's former lover and soul mate, who never appears on screen, but whose presence looms over the entire film.
A few days later, Lorraine's estranged daughter, Purslane or "Pursy" (an enchanting Scarlett Johansson), shows up on their doorstep and declares she is moving in, claiming that her mother left her the house.
As expected, the threesome gets off to a rocky start, with Bobby trying his uncivil best to rid himself of the sassy interloper.
Purslane, we learn, was named for a hardy flowering weed, an obvious allegorical reference to her untamed beauty and resiliency (though the latter masks a deeper vulnerability).
Before you know it, Pursy helps the belles-lettres boozers cut down on the hooch, and they in turn help her earn her GED. In between the bonding and bickering, Pursy also uncovers a buried secret which both tests and strengthens her makeshift relationship with Bobby.
"A Love Song for Bobby Long" has all the ingredients of a good film, including a solid cast and a setup for conflict, but the whole is somehow less than the sum of its quality parts. Unlike the weed after which Pursy is named, the film never really blossoms and is choked by an undergrowth of Southern-style schmaltz.
Travolta manages to make even a self-destructive alcoholic likable, yet his performance is not without some scenery-chewing moments, and his white hair and down-home twang seem a retread from his Clintonesque turn in "Primary Colors."
Like those of the Catholic Southern novelist Flannery O'Connor, the story is populated by misfits and explores the flawed human condition in all its fragility. Yet while it is full of scholarly references, the movie's literary pretensions remain just that. In one scene, Bobby, quoting the poet Robert Frost, says, "Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length." Unfortunately what this film lacks in depth, it makes up for in length, and it would have benefited from some pruning.
Still, the ultimately life-affirming movie ends on a redemptive, albeit contrived, note and imparts a strong message about repentance and second chances, which will resonate with Catholic viewers.
The film features alcohol abuse and recurring rough and sexually crude language and humor, as well as some profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted.
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.