The Long Goodbye

Play trailer

The Long Goodbye

R

Released Mar 7, 1973

1h 52m

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

A logical (if less romantic) extension of Chandler’s vision of Marlowe as the last hurrah for chivalry in a fallen, postwar world.

Aug 4, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

David M

Kinda like a chain smoking james bond nior, long strange scenes with no relation to the plot. Trys too hard to look like hes not trying.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/02/24

Full Review

Roger T

Very disappointing. So far from the book is my main regret. Elliott Gould is a chain smoking slob which gets old very quickly. Long boring non stories like his cat or the hippie girls he lives next to just add padding and an excuse to show some topless women. Wouldn’t recommend it

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

Full Review

Dave C

What a load of tosh! Clunky, poorly written, very lazily acted, and nowhere near the 'noir' wannabe it seems to be aiming for. A crisp, intelligent detective movie this is not. Some merit to be gleaned from the artistic value of the film, I suppose

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

Full Review

wesley t

This film is far from the book, the whole cat scene is a new addition, Marlowe is now a slob dimwit instead of the crisp intelligence character we know. Dr v is missing bright boy and found all to quickly. Homophobic language added in that was not required or in the book. As a takeaway on 70s America it scores well. Just a far cry from what Raymond Chandler created.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/05/24

Full Review

nick s

Nice pacing and naturalistic acting makes this detective film a pleasant watch frame by frame.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/24

Full Review

ed m

A decent private eye movie. Elliot Gould is surprisingly good. Plus, Jack Riley.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/06/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Robert Altman

Director

Elliott Gould

Philip Marlowe

Nina van Pallandt

Eileen Wade

Sterling Hayden

Roger Wade

Mark Rydell

Marty Augustine

Henry Gibson

Dr. Verringer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

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

View more videos

Thieves Like Us

81%

72%

Thieves Like Us

Watchlist

Busting

17%

54%

Busting

Watchlist

Hoodlum

43%

65%

Hoodlum

Watchlist

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

78%

85%

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

Watchlist

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

98%

87%

The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now