Review of A Love Song for Bobby Long

This film simply tries too hard to be a gritty, film-noir type character study and, while it succeeds on some levels, it mostly falls flat. First off, the things I liked.... Scarlett Johansson and newcomer Gabriel Macht give nice performances, and the sexual tension between them is palpable (though a bit forced at times.) The use of "The City That Care Forgot" (New Orleans) as a backdrop is possibly the best thing about the film; it is a character unto itself and adds immeasurably to the overall feel of the film. As for the things that could have been improved upon, I saw the movie's major "revelation" coming at me, literally, in the first five minutes (and I'm not one who usually picks up on movie twists ahead of time.) Also, as big of a Travolta fan as I am, I still have to say that he imbues his character with the worst Southern accent ever heard on celluloid. In general, the movie just seems to ramble on and on without much going for it but a good look and some decent acting.