A Love Song For Bobby Long Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The heart is a lonely hunter.
Upon hearing of her mother's death, jaded teenage loner Purslane Hominy Will returns to New Orleans for the first time in years, ready to reclaim her childhood home. Expecting to find her late mother's house abandoned, Pursy is shocked to discover that it is inhabited by two of her mother's friends: Bobby Long, a former literature professor, and his young protégé, Lawson Pines. These broken men, whose lives took a wrong turn years before, have been firmly rooted in the dilapidated house for years, encouraged only by Lawson's faltering ambitions to write a novel about Bobby Long's life. Having no intention of leaving, Pursy, Bobby Long and Lawson are all forced to live together. Yet as time passes, their tenuous, makeshift arrangement unearths a series of buried personal secrets that challenges their bonds, and reveals just how inextricably their lives are intertwined.
| John Travolta | Bobby Long |
| Scarlett Johansson | Pursy Will |
| Gabriel Macht | Lawson Pines |
| Deborah Kara Unger | Georgianna |
| Dane Rhodes | Cecil |
| David Jensen | Junior |
| Clayne Crawford | Lee |
| Sonny Shroyer | Earl |
| Walter Breaux | Ray |
| Carol Sutton | Ruthie |
| Warren Kole | Sean |
| Bernard Johnson | Tiny |
| Gina 'Ginger' Bernal | Waitress |
| Douglas M. Griffin | Man #1 |
| Earl Maddox | Man #2 |
| Shainee Gabel |
7.20 out of 10 (5615 votes)
Visitor Reviews
the actors made the movie worth watching
posted on 31 Jul 2009The story seems to me just an excuse to see John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson display their dramatic features together. Scarlett is beautiful and natural and Travolta tries too hard, although he seems to portray his character very well. This was a fairly good movie with human feelings, with interesting characters and beautiful evolution. Gabriel Mah is a cute one and does a nice job. I would love to see him more in movies with dramatical content. I liked the books quotes, they added meaning and content to the dialogs. All in all I spent two good hours...although it missed the intensity, the ups and downs, the power that I would have liked to experience...or maybe I was not in a very receiving mood...
Summary: Outstanding story of loss, yearning, guilt, redemption and love.
posted on 27 Jun 2009A small film with great emotional power and a compelling if small story. The characters are each arch-typical and yet they each were allowed to have hearts and to surprise the audience with their humanity (both noble and profane!). The writing was of a universally high quality, even if it dealt with the topics of every-day life. The fact was that there were several characters whose presence was felt very strongly, and who we came to appreciate but who we did not meet.While this was a story about the redemptive power of love, it was as much about guilt, and its excoriating impact on the characters. The fact that we only really learned the "full story" of the beginning of the action, at the end of the film is part of the genius of the writing, which made the revelations seem just as they would be experienced in real life.The cinematography was excellent, with the character of New Orleans playing a supporting role through the art of the camera work.Direction was excellent, the action moved along briskly, but without apparent impatience. The director was clearly interested in being a story-teller and letting the characters (on screen and off live and inanimate)blossom before us as they would have had we been visiting their home.The supporting actors had delightful gem-like roles which added to the character of the unseen actor effecting the action in the present day. They were all of excellent quality.The principals: Bobby Long, was at times somewhat over the top as an to-be-redeemed sinner, but the performance was generally very carefully nuanced to allow the audience to get to know a man who is wrestling with demons and quoting giants, while making his ebullient way through the day. Lawson Pines as a character was hardly worth the effort the actor had to put into portraying him. He did an excellent job of presenting a man who is still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up, but is continually confronted with the reality of daily living for which he is better equipped to deal than Bobby. Their relationship is inexplicably complex. Purcy Will was played to perfection by an actress who is still defining the limits (if she has any) of her talent. Purcy is by turns, yearning for a better life, clear-eyed about the reality of her own situation, a young woman with a clear moral compass, who has lost her way from time to time, but always looks for the path. As a trio, they contributed to making this one of the best films I have seen in at least a year.
Terms of Endearment in a Trailer Park
posted on 23 Jun 2009I really liked this movie. It is about (among other things) the forgiveness needed to be part of a family and people who drink beer for breakfast, a perfect combination. I was expecting to be bored and was happy to be entertained. A few good laughs, a few moments close to tears, some lovely scenery, and it made me think. What more can you ask for in a movie? The surprise ending seemed to me to be unimportant as so many things were resolved before. John Travolta was great as Bobby Long. I do have a question, does anyone beside me assume that Lawson Pines and Bobby Long were gay? It is New Orleans after all. (not that there is anything wrong with that). They should release this movie to more theaters.
New Orleans, Alcohol, and Travolta's Greying Hairline
posted on 19 Jun 2009There's absolutely nothing remarkable about A Love Song for Bobby Long, but it manages to do a couple of things well. It tells the story of Pursy (Scarlett Johannson) sharing the house left behind by her late mother with routine drinkers Bobby Long (John Travolta) and Lawson (Gabriel Macht). From this one-sentence summary, it's easy to predict where the film will take off from there. Although Pursy will at first be disgusted by the two, she will of course grow fond to them. Bobby Long will seem like a drunken slob initially, but will have some remarkably perceptive things to say about life. And Pursy will make some tearful discoveries about her mother.The film stays watchable to me largely because of Scarlett Johansson and John Travolta's baffling presence as the gray-haired Bobby Long. Even as the film goes into emotional gymnastics near the end, the strength of Johansson's performance is one of the few consistent things. She has a good Floridian accent too. And although I was mostly distracted with what an odd casting choice John Travolta is for his role, by the end of the film I almost didn't notice. Without them, I imagine the film would've been an impossible to stomach piece of Southern-fried corn.I think A Love Song with Bobby Long would've been better with a much tighter script. As it is the script is rather vanilla. Also for a film that seems like it's trying to reverent of the South for some reason there's one scene that's very questionable. When we first meet Pursy, she's in Flordia sitting in a trailer eating M&Ms with peanut butter on them. They might have as well dressed her in a wife beater.So I guess my biggest problem with it all is that it's all been done before. Little risks are taken (Although I liked that whenever Bobby Long dropped obscure literature quotes in conversation for Lawson to guess, he never stopped for the audience by saying something like, "That's right, Lawson, and they wrote...") There's nothing here you couldn't find in a different movie. Well, maybe you won't see Travolta looking like this any time soon. :)
Love Song for Everyone
posted on 02 May 2009After wiping the tears from my eyes at the end of this film, I decided to check out rotten tomatoes to see what the critics out there thought of it. My jaw literally dropped open when it had a 42 on that site - how could you watch a movie of this calibur and not be moved. One of the featured critics claimed that the characters were cliché. Cliché! That doesn't even make sense to me - this was a story about a group of people with very complex and unique issues to deal with. I don't understand how it could be called cliché. In other words, if you are one of those people who won't watch a movie because of bad reviews, try to put that presupposing attitude aside for this film.I'm from New Orleans by the way, and I was born and raised in the area just around it. I don't think this movie trivialized those people - if anything it made the town look accepting to others and beautiful in its own special way.Watch this movie.
Disappointing
posted on 24 Apr 2009Too much like a theatrical stage play on film. Very wordy. Stagy. Artificial.That's not to say that the filmmakers didn't have lofty goals. But this is NO "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (1968), from the Carson McCullers novel. How bizarre that this film would actually reference this fine film and include its title as the marketing tag line.I'm sure few even remember the '68 movie, and how sad that the film is not out on DVD. The producers of "Bobby Long" should have saved their money and used it to re-release the venerable old film featuring Alan Arkin and a very young Sondra Locke (her first film).
Essence of New Orleans
posted on 22 Apr 2009Having grown up in New Orleans and recently returned - this movie really illustrates the city that I love. The community, the tolerance, the decay, the elegance of complex relationships and the acceptance and celebration of the human foibles and frailties are beautifully expressed in this film. It was not widely distributed, but thankfully I happened upon the film. Amazing. At a time when New Orleans has been devastated by hurricanes and abandoned by our government - this movie is a poignant portrayal of the lives that have been displaced by Katrina and Rita. See this film and enjoy a little of the true New Orleans.
Lush tribute to the soul (and body) of New Orleans
posted on 08 Apr 2009The reason I bring up my lack of familiarity with Southern expression is that watching Love Song for Bobby Long I imagine the movie is how the quintessential Southern novel would transmute itself onto the screen. Recognizing that New Orleans is sui generis, even as a Southern setting, one sees in Love Song all that one associates with the slower, warmer, deeply floral, musically textured way of living down there. One also sees the haven for lost souls, where regardless of the particular life's flailing that knocked you down, people gather 'round you in a mutual effort at restoration... or not. Whether you go back to the fight or stick around, you belong here, here in the tender, familial embrace of New Orleans. When the character Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht)—the words above are read as narrative text from his novel about Bobby, to close the movie—"sees what is invisible and knows what to write," he's pointing out that this is not only a place for getting restored, it's a destination for those who crave the reality of life... the emotional—sometimes stark, always honest—reality. This movie is Pines' narrative poetry, presumably from the real author (Ronald Everett Capps), in motion. ...For my complete review of this movie and for other movie and book reviews, please visit my site TheCoffeeCoaster.com.Brian Wright Copyright 2009
a really moving film
posted on 02 Apr 2009I watched this movie having had no knowledge that it even existed. I think its good to watch a movie that you have heard nothing about whatsoever, because the film has no expectations to live up to.The movie is based on a girls life after she finds out her estranged mother has died. The girl is played extremely well by Scarlett Johansson,a nd i found her character very believable.She meets two men, Bobby and Lawson (played by John Travolta and Gabriel Macht), who live in her mothers house, and the story follows their building relationships and struggles together.The movie is really moving and leaves you with a warm feeling inside, with a charming soundtrack to go with.Highley recommended for those seeking a quality drama to watch on a Friday night. 9/10.
Good acting lost in a lumbering story...
posted on 07 Mar 2009A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG is a somber and lumbering story of a young girl named Percy(Scarlett Johansson)who, upon learning of her mother's death, journeys to New Orleans to claim her mother's home and, upon her arrival, finds an alcoholic former college professor (John Travolta) and an alcoholic former writer (Gabriel Macht) living there. The rest of the movie is a long and not terribly interesting character study of these three characters and how they eventually bond. Sadly, the true central character in the film, Percy's mother, is dead when the film begins and her relationship with the three main characters is fuzzy at the beginning of the film and kept fuzzy throughout most of the film's running time. Perhaps if we had known a little more about the relationships Percy's mom had with these people, the film might have been more successful in sustaining our interest; however, by the time we learn what we've been wanting to learn, so much time has passed that we really don't care anymore. Despite Scarlett Johansson's strongest performance to date and Travolta's first serious foray into the category of "Character actor", the whole thing comes off like a photographed stage play...bad Tennessee Williams and about 45 minutes before the credits roll, we just want the characters to drink enough to pass out so we don't have to listen to them anymore.
The Heart Is Truly a Lonely Hunter
posted on 01 Mar 2009A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG (2004) **1/2 John Travolta, Scarlett Johanssen, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger.What is it about movies down south, specifically The Big Easy, New Orleans, that evokes a certain Southern Gothic laziness that is refreshing for the most part in its colorful atmosphere and usually borderline characters near caricatures? I suppose it is the quaintness of what Yankees think in general about the redneck culture and its subcultures or hybrids if you will. The latest cinematic gumbo is a picaresque shades of the '70s storytelling with newcomer filmmaker Shainee Gabel's adaptation of Ronald Everett Capps' slightly eccentric tale about a somewhat independent young woman named Pursy Will (Johanssen continuing to be an interesting screen presence in her eclectic roles to date) who reluctantly returns home for the funeral of her estranged local heroine/folksinger Lorraine Will (who is never depicted on screen only in fond recollections) where she discovers her late mother's house is inhabited by Bobby Long (Travolta in his Southern accent mode) a cantankerous aging drunk and former professor of literature who has holed up as a latter-day squatter of sorts with his young protégé and wanna be author Lawson Pines (Macht in an underplayed turn). They inform her that Lorraine would want them to continue to share the home with her daughter should she arrive and begrudgingly the trio form an unlikely family of ne'er do wells and dreamers. Pursy learns from the local inhabitants that her mama was practically royalty in their local hamlet while also discovering some secrets about her own past. Pursy has the intelligence for better things but not the will to return to school despite Lawson and Bobby's urgings until she eventually caves in despite a few pepperings of disagreements and arguments particularly from an ever peeved Bobby who also nurses a few skeletons in his closet.If the viewer can't grasp the final act's set up with its so blatant set-up than I don't know what else to tell you but in spite of some of the predictable traces to the eventual climax the acting is a mixed bag. Normally I dig Travolta having a good time chewing scenery but I'm always perplexed whenever he does a Southern character; it's just never believable to me. Macht has some quietly affecting moments as he falls in love with Johanssen's feisty Pursy and she too has a nice moment or too herself. The direction does seem to meander a bit and sometimes the next sequence doesn't transition so smoothly as it may have in the book. The general appeal is the interplay between the three leads who do seem to coagulate nicely as a distaff family of misfits. Overall the folksy-ness does rub off but in a good way; with bonhomie to spare.
The Good & Bad Of 'A Love Song For Bobby Long'
posted on 25 Feb 2009This was different and generally an interesting character study of three people. The down side was too much profanity, too much bickering and too much "attitude," mainly from Scarlet Johannson's character, "Pursy Will," but also from Johnn Travota's. Johannson seems to be almost typecast in these roles, the spoiled, snotty young girl, ever since her 1998 performance in "The Horse Whisperer." I am hoping assuming she has grown out of these roles by now, or will shortly, although she is still only in her young 20s.That doesn't mean Scarlett didn't do a fine job of acting in here. She did, along with the two male leads: John Travolta and Gabriel Macht. By and large, Travolta, who plays the title role of "Bobby Long," has played a lot of interesting characters in the last two decades and his acting seems to get better and better. I rarely see a film of his that isn't at least entertaining. Macht is a new face but he was good, too, and his character "Lawson Pines" was, by far, the nicest person of the three.So, if you like good acting and appreciate outstanding cinematography, which this movie boasts and don't mind soap-opera-type stories, you should like this film very much. This has a certain fascination to it, but I got tired of the constant profanity and negative personalities of two of those three main characters so I lost interest by the halfway mark. If you can stay with it, though, there is a rewarding finish for you, as the three main characters slowly learn more about each other. It's also a wonderful look at the city of New Orleans. I can't say enough about the photography by Elliot Davis in this movie.
Everything about this movie impresses me
posted on 17 Feb 2009This was made for Travolta and Johansson. Even the shots inside the house were beautiful. The critics didn't like this movie. I guess they don't know about real life anymore. Bobby made a statement as to that " I know God and God knows me " this has interested me to no end. I put it in Google as he said it and surprisingly enough, it comes from the Good Sheppard parable John 10-15. Does this mean bobby fancies himself as the God Shepard or what? He is quite sanctimonious you know. Mr Macht is great also. The bar scenes are too. Bobby's story about his 10 year old experiences were true enough to be scary. It was real enough to be known by me and my ilk.
Absolutely satisfying!!!
posted on 18 Jan 2009I think this movie is a great contribution to film and story telling. The Director did a wonderful job of capturing human emotions, mistakes, dreams and hopes on camera and the talent for being able to live these characters truthfully and with no restrictions. The movie was able to capture my attention with the first scene and kept a perfect pace to tell this story which I imagine was complicated to do so with. All of the characters were able to draw you in and allow you to live each of there lives and be sympathetic accordingly. Hats off to the director for capturing the colorful and soulful roots of Lousiana. I would have to say overall this great movie was made possible by a talented cast and crew altogether.
Delicate story
posted on 26 Oct 2008At the beginning you don't think you'll get too much involved with the characters. They all appear to be selfish individuals lost in their own needs and emotions. But soon you notice they have much to share, with each other and with the spectator. It's a subtle and delicate story with some surprises. In fact, there are some sudden changes in the story which could have been more slowly explored, in order to assure you get every meaning on its place. However, if you let yourself get involved with the characters' dramas, it'll make your eyes tearful at the end. Good music and good picture complete the worth-a-while status for this film.
This movie is a "must see" for folks who enjoy a good story, with an entertaining soundtrack.
posted on 06 Oct 2008I've seen this movie 4 times and today I recorded it on VHS tape. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. The sound track is absolutely wonderful and the movie, although slow moving, tells a beautiful story. Scarlett Johanson is definitely one of our most talented actresses and John Travolta outdoes himself. The accents of the New Orleans residents, including Travolta, are not particularly authentic, but that drawback is easily overlooked. I've been to New Orleans several times and live only 5 hours from there. I have several friends who live there and each of them think this movie rates very high because of the scenery, the interesting characters and the wonderful story line.
Sticks in your mind.
posted on 16 Sep 2008There haven't been a lot of movies out lately that have really stuck in my mind as excellent, and really, this one has. It captures Louisiana lifestyles, something that may be changing now forever, while portraying human emotions on a real and raw level. The filming is excellent, the score is excellent, and the story, or in someways stories, that are unfolding as the movie progresses, are naturally, excellent. I don't normally like John Travolta, but this I honestly believe is his best role to date. He is a real person, not singing or playing that slightly off-his-rocker villain character. He's a person, and he becomes more real than I am used to seeing him. This movie was fantastic. This one is well worth finding, renting or buying, and watching more than once. It leaves you smiling with tears. GOOD MOVIE!!!
A Classic
posted on 02 Sep 2008After her mother's death Pursy (Johansson) goes to New Orleans and finds two of her mother's best friends living in the house she thought was now hers.This is a movie you don't just watch. You are brought into it almost like you are actually there with the characters. You are more than a fly on the wall. Maybe it's the way the camera lingers on the scenes whether they are of the river, cemeteries, houses, porches, streets, bars, flower gardens, people at a picnic, or the characters' faces. Maybe it's the way your eyes would linger, too, if you saw the beauty in all that you would experience. There is no hurry to run to the next scene as you feel you have become part of this one and don't want to leave. The Cinematography is more than outstanding and shows New Orleans and the characters with a clarity, a richness and an honesty rarely found in movies.The dialogue is pertinent, cautious, clever and at times pulls no punches. At a picnic Bobby (Travolta) mentions to all that Pursy is, "fresh, all right." (like a wise guy). To get back at Bobby, Pursy asks Lawson (Macht) who is the one who snores at night like a GD freight train. Lawson says Bobby. Pursy then tells Bobby and all, "I saw this program on the medical channel that you can cure people of snoring by cutting their throats open." Not to be outdone, Bobby Long goes into what can only be described as a X-rated story of something that happened when he was a kid. It was embarrassing to Pursy to listen to this but she said nothing and held her own. Yeah, I was embarrassed too. It's not for kids to hear. Me too.As for the main story, you are there nervously waiting for a response from Bobby Long and not knowing which way the wind will blow. Travolta makes Bobby Long an unforgettable character (who is looking for redemption) and this may be his best performance yet. Johansson is perfect as the young, incredibly beautiful, naive girl (who hopes there is still hope for her) who must stand up to Long and Lawson (who stays with Bobby out of guilt and who is writing a book on Bobby Long) who she discovers is her ally, kind of.I hope someone nominates Gabriel Macht for a Best Supporting Actor Award because he was the buffer and the glue that held everything together, and he did that job perfectly. He comes across with a knowing and calmness we all wish we had within us. At times, I felt as though he was all of us and we would, hopefully, react the same ways he did. It is possible that Johansson will receive a Best Actress nomination for her role as she was, as always, perfect. And, Travolta may get a Best Actor Award out of this. He was outstanding. OK, when I first saw Travolta in this movie he reminded me of a heavier Curtis Strange (pro golfer). If you know golf you will see it too. If not, it doesn't make any difference.There are two twists in here. One you may be able to figure out long before it's revealed, but not the other one unless you are really good at this.
a fine low-voiced and calm movie... i loved it.
posted on 21 Aug 2008I had heard bad critics of this, but also fine critics, so I decided to give this movie a try. I also wanted to see John Travolta in such a different role - drunk, white-haired and a little fat. And he really makes it good. I am also impressed by Scarlett, although this isn't her best role - her best role's still in Lost in Translation - but yet she makes a good role. In fact, every actor in this movie are very good. I feel so happy when I am watching this... All simply it's a movie about people, their hearts, love, dreams and passions. It's also about finding what you were looking for - finding your own way in life. A very fine coming-of-age movie of a very different kind, very different other drama movies. It's not a movie about love story like the most drama movies, but about finding your identity and get your dream to come true. The plot? Two drunk men are living in the house that Lorraine (mother of Purslane, played by Scarlett Johansson)left to them and Purslane. Purslane has not met her mother in years, barely remembering how she looked like, but decides to go to New Orleans when her mother Lorraine dies. Missing the funeral, she decides to stay in the house as she is one of the three inheritors. The other two inheritors are of course the drunk men, Lawson (a becoming writer) and Bobby (a former literature teacher at college). So starts their life together with all its problems... but also dreams, passions and truth-finding.It's maybe too long and low-voiced and too calm movie and 2 hrs is a little too much, but yet it's a very beautiful movie. You smile and you laugh slyly sometimes as well as almost burst into tears.
We New Orleanians hate to see our city a jumbled mess. At least this film lacks the usual clichés...
posted on 28 Aug 2009I address New Orleans and comments made by others as well as my film thoughts. Rather than a gay relationship, Bobby and Lawson are in a guild-ridden relationship that culminated in a drinking gig. Lawson showed immediate interest in Pursy when they first met at the door. The house was supposed to be a shotgun and didn't seem arranged that way. I didn't feel the heat and I live in it. The actors didn't sweat, their clothes weren't perspiration wet, and their faces were powder-dry. Without A/C and heat in these old uninsulated homes it is impossible to stay inside much. That is why so many people sit outside most of the time. When it was cold Pursy shared a blanket with Lawson. She was barefooted and he has no shirt on. Cold? Then she went to sleep and Lawson laid beside her, shirtless, with no blanket on them. In the cold no one huddled to keep warm. In the heat no one used used paper or cardboard to fan themselves. This was shot on two banks of the river because you see a levee and someone walks on it, down it and then all of a sudden they are on a small rocky spot near the water. In this city surrounded by levees, there is not one place that anyone can find a spot like that except on the West Bank. The bridge was seen in so many shots you would have thought that there were no highways leading to or ramps going up to the bridge. Just off Magazine Street there is access and the bridge is much closer in view. Since the clouds didn't move, the water didn't move, and the Twin Spans look like one span, this must have been an inaccurate matte background. Most likely there wasn't budget enough to repaint it. No one can walk that long straight, graveled walk anywhere off Magazine St. Then they take a streetcar Uptown. Why? They walk toward the lovely old mansion of the Latter Library. They never enter. There is no purpose. The scene changes rapidly to their home neighborhood. Why do they go to the Camelia Grill that is on Carollton Uptown? Off Magazine Uptown is only the world-class zoo, park, gardens and expensive homes. Drunks don't spend money on streetcars to go eat, especially with no drinks. Eating was not on Bobby's and Lawson's agenda. Pursy isn't anorexic. She eats junk like most teenagers. Drunks spend money on their booze and cigarettes in place of food. Speaking of food, what trailer trash from FL goes into a bar and orders red beans and rice? That her beer she ordered turned out to be a Coke was a mishap. More on beer. When Pursy joins the soirée in the weeds, she has just sat down and is told, "Drink your beer," which she suddenly has in her hands. The walks they take are not for drunks or those in this humidity. All these poor people are supposed to be off Magazine down where the seedier parts are and they take walks way Uptown in beautiful Audubon Park. That is where those beautiful, old live oaks are. The garden keeper tells Pursy the Oak she lies on was her mother, Lorraine's, favorite tree. All the men seemed to have loved Lorraine. There are things about her that make me think she might have had her life together, a singer but still poor. Maybe she did find solace away from the neighborhood Uptown on her tree. I can only assume that the walks past various, painted buildings and then a warehouse is not side by side but meant to be a portfolio of the varied architecture of the city. There are many areas like that and it would be a great move if this were done as if the buildings were part of a longer walk. The same scene is at the first and toward the end of the movie. This would have been a nice way to film the entire movie so it would not appear so disjointed. That style would have made a great indie film. I did buy Bobbie as a broken down drunk some of the time when he could stay in character. Lawson seemed a little too classy to be a drunk. Pursy was good trailer trash. Someone said he tried to have a N'Awlins accent, but he was from AL. This is an inbred movie. Grason Capps who wrote and performed such brilliant music is the son of first-time author, Ronald Everett Capps "Off Magazine Street." One of the producers is Scarlett Johannson's mother. This film didn't have a budget worth a dime; however economy didn't have to mean sloppiness. The cinematography was excellent. I hope shots of the walks past the various colors and types of buildings was New Orleans was not meant to be one after the other but a montage of the city. We are a city of little neighborhoods. From the book's title, it appears to want to dwell on the denizens of the down-trodden, who made up their own neighborhood. Leaving that neighborhood was not in keeping with the characters. If economy was the key, then all shots could have been done on one side of the river and one neighborhood and streets off of it. With some juxtaposition, the filming areas would have had meaning. It has such wonderful possibilities to make a movie in this city that really shows a segment of the city without exploiting the clichés, which this one, to its credit, it does not attempt to do. The cinematography and the musical score make for greatness. The film is so close to being a good indie film, but the director didn't have a handle on the scenes. Too bad. Goodbye Bobbie, Lawson and Pursy. You could have gone down in indie history as a cult film. It was all there (except for those dreary, predictable plot endings), but the director missed the barge.