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The Movie:
 A Love Song
for Bobby Long is the kind of film that requires a few
viewings to warm up to. The first time I saw the film I was, to
put it mildly, lukewarm about it. I thought the characters were
shallow and unlikable, the plot had too many convenient
coincidences, and the film was way too long. Then I
watched it again and I started to see how deep and well
fleshed-out these characters are throughout the course of the
film. So I watched it again and the plot - even though there are
still a few of those convenient coincidences - didn't seem to
bother me as much. I decided to give the film one more shot to
win me over, and through the course of that last viewing, I
decided that, although the film is still a bit overlong,
everything really started to come together. It may have taken
longer than some films, but A Love Song for Bobby Long
eventually turned out to be a sweet story that takes place in a
delightful location not often seen in today's cinema.
There have been plenty of films, throughout the years, that take
place in New Orleans. They use the city to show off its excellent
music, great nightlife, and tasty food. What most films don't
show, however, is the other side of New Orleans. They
don't show the outskirts of the city and, instead, often focus on
Bourbon Street or the red-light district. What makes A Love
Song for Bobby Long so intoxicating and beautiful is the way
that Writer/Director Shainee Gabel uses her locations as
characters. She films the outskirts of the city with as much
passion and admiration as the sax player in the bars has for his
music. These characters absolutely love the colorful place they
live, and it shows in the film. Gabel, along with her Director of
Photography Elliot Davis, film the rich reds, blues, greens, and
yellows of New Orleans with precision and care. And while they
don't shy away from showing the dilapidated buildings and
crumbling houses, Gabel and Davis somehow manage to make even
these structures look inviting and beautiful.
 As much as New
Orleans itself can be considered a character in the film, A
Love Song for Bobby Long really finds its heart and soul in
its three main characters played by John Travolta, Scarlett
Johansson, and Gabriel Macht. When I first came to the film, I
initially thought Travolta might be the wrong choice to play the
washed-up, alcoholic, former literature professor Bobby Long. He,
actually, seemed the least likely person to fit the role. After
watching the film a few times, however, it's hard to imagine
anyone else as Bobby Long. Travolta gives himself over to the
character body and soul, and creates a portrait of a man that may
now be broken, but clearly still has a whole lot of beauty left
in him. Whether he's spouting quotations from some of
literature's finest, telling stories to the neighborhood, or
singing along to his guitar, it's painfully obvious that he
hasn't exactly been living life to the fullest. In fact, Bobby
Long has mostly been killing himself with every sip of alcohol he
takes.
 This is the
Bobby Long we meet as the film opens. He's battered, broken, and
completely drunk. That is until Purslane finds out her mother has
died and shows up on Bobby and Lawson's doorstep to claim the
third of the house that is owed to her. Played both innocently
and wise-beyond-her-years by Scarlett Johansson, Pursy brightens
up the house (both literally and figuratively), which in turn,
shakes up the lives of Bobby and his young protégé. Johansson,
admittedly, is one of the reasons I first wanted to see A
Love Song for Bobby Long and, although this certainly isn't
her best work, she is as radiant as ever. She inhabits
this character that, with all her flaws and naiveties, somehow
always manages to make everyone around her better. While her
relationship, in the film, with Travolta at times seems a bit
creepy, her chemistry with Gabriel Macht is great. Her outspoken
performance matches nicely with Macht's quiet subtlety, and their
friendship is one of most believable in the film.
All that's not to say that A Love Song for Bobby Long is
a perfect (or even great) film. It does has a few too many cozy
conveniences in the plot and is still slightly too long. There
are even a few subplots - one involving Macht's love interest and
one involving the boyfriend that Johansson left in Florida - that
don't really pan out. In the midst of the rest of the story,
these subplots simply get in the way and probably would have been
better left on the shelf. The film tends to lose its way a bit
near the middle, but eventually finds the solid ground of
character to bring it back together in the end. What really works
for A Love Song for Bobby Long is character and
thankfully Shainee Gabel gives these characters plenty of time to
develop. Even the smaller characters in Bobby Long's neighborhood
become an enriching part of the story. These characters add a
little more color to the already colorful New Orleans that Gabel
chooses to show.
 The best things
about A Love Song for Bobby Long are what, ultimately,
make it a quality film. The chance to see a side of New Orleans
that most people haven't seen is easily worth the price of
admission. The performances of Travolta, Johansson, and Macht are
simply icing on the cake. Writer/Director Shainee Gabel may not
have made a masterpiece but she has made a film that, despite its
downfalls, has more good qualities than bad. She's shown that
she's a filmmaker with heart and passion for her subject, and
Gabel certainly knows how to make even the most mundane things
look stunning. A Love Song for Bobby Long is a film that
I'll watch again if for nothing more than to see the beauty of a
New Orleans rarely seen.
The DVD
Video:
 A Love Song
for Bobby Long is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1
widescreen format that has more issues than one would expect from
such a recent film. The transfer does a fine job handling the
varied color palette of the deep south. The blues, reds, greens,
and yellows of New Orleans appear bright and vibrant, yet
subdued. The best aspect of this transfer is the way it handles
the bright sunlight in outdoor scenes with a beautiful golden
glow. Fleshtones are accurate and shadows and lighting are well
delineated. The film, however, does seem to have a bit of a flat
look to it, lacking some of the intricate detail you might
expect. Edge enhancement is not much of an issue, but the print
isn't in the best of shape. Dirt and spots show up from time to
time and, although some of it is probably intentional, there is a
fair amount of grain present throughout. Overall, this is an
adequate visual presentation that could have been much better
with a little print cleanup.
Sound:
The audio on this disc is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format
that isn't all that dynamic, but certainly gets the job done. The
track handles the dialogue-heavy fare just fine, as dialogue is
always crisp, clear, and distinct. It is always the main focus of
this track and never becomes overwhelmed by the music or sound
effects. Spatial separation across the front channels is good,
and the track is well balanced. There are not a lot of
opportunities for the surround channels to come alive, but they
do a fine job of giving the jazzy, blues soundtrack a bit more
ambience and power. There are times - such as during a rain scene
- when the surrounds do come in handy. Don't expect to be blown
away with sound effects, as A Love Song for Bobby Long
is not that type of film. This track may not be incredibly
dynamic, but is does a nice job where it really counts.
Extras:
 The first extra
feature on this disc is an audio commentary with
Writer/Director Shainee Gabel and Director of Photography Elliot
Davis. While the two seem to get along well, they're
both so soft-spoken that they nearly put me to sleep with this
track. Sure, we get the usual information about the production as
Gabel tells us how the cast (and the film as a whole) came
together, and Davis tells us why he chose to light a scene a
certain way. But in a time when we hear so many commentaries on
so many discs, this basic information isn't quite enough to make
for a really engaging listen. Gabel seems to have the basic
formula for an interesting commentary, but she rarely delivers.
Although the track isn't a complete wash - it does prove to be
fairly informative - next time I suggest a little more energy.
Also included on this disc is an approximately 30-minute long behind-the-scenes
featurette that turns out to be a bit too produced for
my taste. We get the standard interviews, with most of the
principal cast and crew, mixed in with a few behind-the-scenes
moments, and a few clips from the film. Everyone seems to have
something intelligent to say about the film, which is good, but
they seem to lack the passion that comes with a more on-the-fly
featurette. This one, despite its length, seems too much like
your typical EPK-style behind-the-scenes documentary. It may have
succeeded, however, if not for the inclusion of some clips from
the film that are just way too long. They are
unnecessarily lengthy, and the featurette probably would have
been much more interesting without them. Unfortunately, this
documentary rarely moves beyond your standard EPK fare.
We also have eight deleted scenes that,
thankfully, were left out of the film. It's not that they're bad
or unworthy, but A Love Song for Bobby Long is already
too long. Nevertheless, their inclusion on this disc is a nice
little touch for those who want to see even more character
development. One scene in particular is a special treat to all us
Johansson fans as it shows her in a rather
Meg-Ryan-in-the-diner-scene-from-When-Harry-Met-Sally
moment. Very nice, if I don't say so myself.
Finally, there are nine trailers for A Love
Song for Bobby Long, Wild Things: Diamond in the Rough,
D.E.B.S., Imaginary Heroes, William
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, The Brooke Ellison
Story, Bewitched TV, 80s Hits, and Manny
& Lo.
Final Thoughts:
 I'll be the
first to admit that the first time I saw A Love Song for
Bobby Long, I wasn't exactly sure that I wanted to see it
again. A repeat viewing, however, turned out to be a wise
decision as the film became more engaging and heartfelt the
second time around. Its mistakes - which seemed so glaring the
first time around - tended to drift off into the ether as the
environment and characters became the focal point. It may not be
a film that will touch everyone who sees it, but A Love Song
for Bobby Long delivers where it counts. The beautiful color
palette, and the performances of Travolta, Johansson, and Macht
make the film one worth seeing. While Warner Bros. has packed
this disc with a nice assortment of extra features, they fail to
elevate this disc to highly recommended simply for the fact that
they don't add much to the enjoyment of the film. Nevertheless,
on the strength of the film alone, this disc easily comes as
recommended. |
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