There’s something about the south, be it extreme heat of the summer, the lush vegetation (including banana leaves), the weathered look of the buildings–thanks again to that weather, the slower pace, the music, the seemingly potential source of literary references… It is these things, especially the last part, that serve as the background and themes, for “”A Love Song for Bobby Long””. The film, directed by Shainee Gabel, and based on the (now published) book “”Off Magazine Street””, covers the lives of three literary-minded individuals living together in New Orleans.
Actually, the main character is seemingly absent, or rather deceased: Lorraine Will. The viewer is first ‘introduced’ to her as she is being laid to rest, with ex-college professor Bobby Long (John Travolta) drunkenly watching this ritual from a distance. Apparently, he was a friend (to put it one way) of the dearly departed, as an overhead narration describes, and initially chalks this info as part of his ongoing bad luck streak. As it turns out, Lorraine had many, many friends, attributed to her years as a singer in a local jazz/blues band, and a daughter as well, named Pursy (Scarlett Johansson). This 18-year old high-school dropout, whose name is derived from purslane, a common wee, lives in a trailer in Panama City, Florida (‘the Redneck Riviera’, as referred to by Bobby) with her boyfriend Lee (Clayne Crawford). She receives the news, belatedly, from Lee that her mother has passed away (he read it in the mail but…neglected to say anything) , and then hightails to Louisiana. The goal is not only to resolve things there, and attend the funeral (which she has missed)but to leave her awful life–and even more awful boyfriend–in Florida behind. Upon arriving at her mother’s old—in more ways than one–house, she finds a stranger at the door. This peculiar sight is Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), an aspiring writer and former prot