There are a lot of fine literary quotes in "A Love Song for Bobby Long," from Dylan Thomas to George Sand to T.S. Eliot, but it's one from Robert Frost that best sums up the film's appeal: "Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length." The film will benefit from smart promotion and the loyalty of Travolta fans, and should gain support from audiences who wish to see the latest in a growing list of astonishing performances by the hot young actress Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring"). First-time director Shainee Gabel, working from her own script inspired by the novel "Off East Magazine St." by R.E. Capps, has pulled off a remarkable feat in creating a community of characters reminiscent of an early Steinbeck novel.

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