48
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterCaptivating drama delivers literary flair and Louisiana music and great roles for a grizzled John Travolta and lovely Scarlett Johansson.
- 80Film ThreatFilm ThreatJohansson is a stunningly charismatic actress. She gives Travolta a serious run for his money.
- 80Los Angeles TimesCarina ChocanoLos Angeles TimesCarina ChocanoAmong other things, the characters in A Love Song for Bobby Long really know how to turn a phrase, in itself a pleasure so rare it all but demands any flaws be forgiven.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe acting by Scarlett Johansson is so raw and sincere that the film leaves an impact despite its deficiencies.
- 70VarietyDavid RooneyVarietyDavid RooneyA pedigree cast elevates old-fashioned material and lackluster screenwriting.
- 50New York Magazine (Vulture)Ken TuckerNew York Magazine (Vulture)Ken TuckerJohn Travolta finds no artistic breathing-room in A Love Song for Bobby Long.
- 50USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkEven in the junky potboilers that John Travolta has persisted in making since his "Pulp Fiction" comeback (all 5,000 of them), you usually get the sense that he's acting in his bailiwick.
- 40The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenThe hokey solemnity of A Love Song for Bobby Long suggests "The Mundane Secrets of the Ya-Ya Brotherhood" or "The Notebook Goes to the Big Easy." The movie is another example of Hollywood's going soft and squishy when it goes South.
- 30Village VoiceEd ParkVillage VoiceEd ParkAt least Macht emerges relatively unscathed from the mess, content to brood and mutter self-loathing observations while Johansson and (most painfully) Travolta spoon their Southern accents out of a jar and spread it all over the humid scenery.
- 10The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayNo movie that opens with the line "Time was never a friend to Bobby Long" could possibly be any good, and sure enough, A Love Song For Bobby Long lives down to its squibbed kickoff.