The Long Goodbye

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The Long Goodbye

R

Released Mar 7, 1973

1h 52m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Private detective Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is asked by his old buddy Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) for a ride to Mexico. He obliges, and when he gets back to Los Angeles is questioned by police about the death of Terry's wife. Marlowe remains a suspect until it's reported that Terry has committed suicide in Mexico. Marlowe doesn't buy it but takes a new case from a beautiful blond, Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt), who coincidentally has a past with Terry.

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Critics Consensus

An ice-cold noir that retains Robert Altman's idiosyncratic sensibilities, The Long Goodbye ranks among the smartest and most satisfying Marlowe mysteries.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Altman holds genre clichés and conventions up to the light of modern life—and uses them as a prism to reveal its hidden tones.

Dec 19, 2022

Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Some of the improvisational scenes don't entirely work, but it's an ambitious and artful reinvention.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 26, 2021

Full Review

Philip French

Guardian

A masterpiece of sorts, it digs beneath the surface of the supposedly liberated spirit of the times to expose the ethos that took America into the Vietnam war and produced Watergate.

Jul 17, 2020

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Even when The Long Goodbye is ’70s shaggy, director Robert Altman (at the height of his powers) maintains a core tension within Marlowe’s wild goose chase.

Apr 17, 2025

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It all comes down to the wisecracking Gould – messy and unkept, with a cigarette loosely dangling from the corner of his mouth. He’s the special sauce that makes the whole thing work and a perfect fit for the kind of movie Altman is shooting for.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 16, 2024

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Robert Altman and Elliott Gould might not be the ideal director/actor for Phillip Marlowe but they really make The Long Goodbye their own with their satirical contribution to the genre.

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 7, 2023

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Joe J

Great acting, some good dialog, and there is nothing redeeming about this film. It is self-indulgent and unsatisfying. What a waste of time and money.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Robert K

Some movies you just wish you lived inside. This is one of them. Top 3 of my Altman likes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

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marvin n

I can't stand Elliot Gould. I can't stand smoking, which is what Elliot Gould does nonstop in this film

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

Full Review

john h

Ludicrous black humor that aids the idiosyncrasy of the characters and the surreal, gloomy plot set in 1970s Los Angeles.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/06/25

Full Review

Harrison B

Fun American take on James Bond movies. Better though.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/26/25

Full Review

J C

I never get tired of this movie. I love the 70's L.A. vibe and California scenery. It's as if you privy to seeing everything through the director's lens and it's captured forever in time. Elliott Gould's charm and sarcasm is brilliant. Sterling Hayden has such a presence and plays his character just wonderfully. Love Van Pallandt, she is stunning, hip and classy and the twist at the end proves you can't judge a book by it's cover. People are not what they seem except for detective Marlowe who is just himself and a really likable guy, in fact every character Elliot Gould has ever done is very enjoyable, he is one of the greats.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/25

Full Review

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Robert Altman

Director

Elliott Gould

Philip Marlowe

Nina van Pallandt

Eileen Wade

Sterling Hayden

Roger Wade

Mark Rydell

Marty Augustine

Henry Gibson

Dr. Verringer

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Chasing Eileen Wade

2:11

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Wade's Suicide

2:10

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Dr. Verringer's Clinic

2:13

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Walter Brennan

2:13

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Broken Bottle, Broken Face

2:13

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Take Off Your Clothes

2:08

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - The Albino Turd

2:12

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Freedom From Verringer's

2:12

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Interrogation

2:12

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - A Born Loser

2:13

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Synopsis

Private detective Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) is asked by his old buddy Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) for a ride to Mexico. He obliges, and when he gets back to Los Angeles is questioned by police about the death of Terry's wife. Marlowe remains a suspect until it's reported that Terry has committed suicide in Mexico. Marlowe doesn't buy it but takes a new case from a beautiful blond, Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt), who coincidentally has a past with Terry.

Director: Robert Altman
Producer: Jerry Bick
Screenwriter: Raymond Chandler, Leigh Brackett
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 1973, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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