A Love Song For Bobby Long [M]

Estranged from her mother, Pursy returns to her family home in New Orleans after receiving a delayed message of her mother’s passing. She arrives to discover that she has missed the funeral, which turns out to be the least of her problems. Pursy discovers that there are two other occupants in her mother’s house; Bobby Long, a washed up literary professor with a terrible drinking habit, and his pupil Lawson Pines, who is writing a book about Bobby. Bobby tells Pursy that her mother left the house to the three of them, which doesn’t sit too well at first, but as Pursy begins to adapt and settle into the southern community, whilst developing a warmness towards her booze-soaked roommates, she discovers some startling truths about her mother and the family she left behind. 

So here I am, dabbing my eyes and still amazed that I had never heard of this film before. I came across it cleaning the drama section at work and was instantly intrigued. A slow, but wonderfully powerful and heart-stopping film, A Love Song For Bobby Long is beautifully balanced between comedy and drama and is really wonderful. 

Estranged from her mother, Pursy returns to her family home in New Orleans after receiving a delayed message of her other’s passing. She arrives to discover that she has missed the funeral, which turns out to be the least of her problems. Pursy discovers that there are two other occupants in her mother’s house; Bobby Long, a washed up literary professor with a terrible drinking habit, and his pupil Lawson Pine, also an alcoholic, who is writing a book about Bobby. Bobby tells Pursy that her mother left the house to the three of them, which doesn’t sit too well at first, but as Pursy begins to adapt and settle into the southern community, whilst developing a warmness towards her booze-soaked roommates, she discovers some startling truths about her singer mother and the family she left behind. 

A slow story that develops into a wonderfully climactic build-up of emotional conquests, this film is a classic example of how, left to their own devices, stories and characters can change and develop and grow naturally into something really beautiful. 

Scarlett Johansson stars as Pursy and she delivered another breathtaking performance, beginning the film with mounds of harsh attitude and frustration and ending it completely at peace. I believe that she is one of the most beautiful actresses on the screen today and it’s absolutely impossible not to fall in love with her in this film. 

John Travolta stars as Bobby Long and his was a performance that moved me to tears. For much of the film he is bitter and inebriated, but there is always a strong sense of melancholy about him that just melts you heart and creates great waves of infectious sorrow. John’s was a completely mesmerising performance that could weather the hardest of stones. Really powerful. 

Starring Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger, Dane Rhoades, David Jensen, and Clayne Crawford, A Love Song For Bobby Long was an incredibly emotive and powerful film that’s filled with drama, dysfunction, clashes, and family. It was absolutely beautiful!