The soul has greater need of the ideal than the real for it is by the real that we exist, it is by the ideal that we live

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Love song for Bobby Long

ok, I have to come to the defense of this movie. Even if I'm 3 years too late. It was released in 2004, but I just saw it the other day, and rottentomatoes.com says everybody hates it. Not me.

Sure it was cliched, and sure it used every worn out southern stereotype extant, BUT. I liked it. I liked it because the cast was committed to it. Scarlett Johanssen, whom I truly cold care less about in everything I've seen her do, is fine. I don't hate her, but the lack of depth she let Pursy have kinda pissed me off. Like she just wasn't into the role. Well, then let someone who is into it have the role Scarlett! There are as you know, shitloads of women out there who'd have given their left tit for the part so let them do something with it.

One thing I really ilked about this movie was that though Gabriel Macht is cute as hell, they didn't make it seem so. He was just this alcoholic young guy who was screwing off a few years of his life with Bobby Long. Him I truly liked in this movie.

And Deborah Kara Unger..well she could just stand there and I'd be happy. I think I've only seen her in one bad movie and that movie was so bad it had to be an accidental conspiracy on the part of about a dozen people, so I have to give her that one. Remember,I'm gay, so she's gotta be prety fuckin good to get this from me. I ain't saying it cause she's so hot to me.

My favorite in this movie was John Travolta. He worked his ass off in this thing and you couldn't see a minute of it, now that's what an actor is supposed to do.

Let's get things straight at this point. I am not a John Travolta fan. I don't hate him, but I'm not bowled over by him either. And as for the gay question? Who gives a shit! I'm not attracted to him, and even if I was interested, and he was gay we're never going to meet, let alone date, so what possible difference could it make to me?

But Bobby Long was a singular creation I think Travolta got his teeth into and he planned to take it as far as he could. Don't get me wrong there were moments he let the young and inexperienced director take him places he shouldn't have gone, but overall he was great. His relationship with Gabriel Macht could have come off stilted and easily gay. But it never crossed that line and I always believed it. The scene where he's reading Lawson's book and trying to critique it is perfect. he tries to give criticism for criticism's sake and Lawson isn't having any of it. Bobby knows his place here and he knows this tightrope act will not work with his friend Lawson so he lays off, fast. Exactly what he should have done.

His relationship with Pursy, I think, was influenced by the director, and that dishrag Scarlett. The only time she showed any fire was when she threw out the golddigging b/f from the redneck riviera. I'd say she needed a more experienced director, but I saw her in Match Point. If Woody Allen can't get you to act, you need a new job. This chick just ain't that damn good. True she was paired with the current reigning champ of overacting Jonathan Rhys-Myers, but surely she could do something, ANYTHING!

I loved this movie and though I knew Bobby was going to die, and I don't do get-sick-and-die movies, I watched it anyway. Thanks guys!