A Love Song for Bobby Long
After inheriting her estranged mother's New Orleans house, a young woman is forced into intimate, uneasy companionship with two alcoholic literary outsiders.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- literate
- intimate
- quiet evening
- literary drama night
What critics said
Critics found the film atmospheric and intermittently charming, praising its literate performances and New Orleans location work while faulting its sluggish pacing and overfamiliar revelations.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pursy, Bobby, and Lawson form an uneasy household whose relationships create the possibility of change after loss and failure.
The dilapidated house and damp New Orleans surroundings embody the characters' nostalgia, neglect, and bohemian drift.
Bobby and Lawson's world is shaped by English literature, failed academic aspirations, and extended exchanges that assume a well-read audience.
Bobby and Lawson are alcoholic former academics, and their drinking shapes the household's routines, identities, and stalled ambitions.
Films like A Love Song for Bobby Long, and why
Leaving Las Vegas
bohemian literary drama centered on alcoholism, damaged adults, and redemptive emotional bonds
The Lost Weekend
slow-burn southern character drama blending alcoholism, regret, and lyrical dialogue
The Lower Depths
intimate ensemble drama about troubled outsiders finding fragile community in a distinctive American city
Movie Details
- Director
- Shainee Gabel
- Release Date
- 2004-09-02
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (441)
Cast
- John Travolta
- Scarlett Johansson
- Gabriel Macht
- Deborah Kara Unger
- Dane Rhodes
- David Jensen
- Clayne Crawford
- Sonny Shroyer
- Carol Sutton
- Walter Breaux
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Love Song for Bobby Long about?
- After inheriting her estranged mother's New Orleans house, a young woman is forced into intimate, uneasy companionship with two alcoholic literary outsiders.
- What is A Love Song for Bobby Long like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Love Song for Bobby Long as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Love Song for Bobby Long violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in A Love Song for Bobby Long.
- What did critics think of A Love Song for Bobby Long?
- Critics found the film atmospheric and intermittently charming, praising its literate performances and New Orleans location work while faulting its sluggish pacing and overfamiliar revelations.
- Which films are like A Love Song for Bobby Long?
- Films with a similar feel include Leaving Las Vegas, The Lost Weekend, and The Lower Depths.
- How long is A Love Song for Bobby Long?
- A Love Song for Bobby Long runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Love Song for Bobby Long?
- In United States, A Love Song for Bobby Long streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
