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The Long Goodbye

Play trailer Poster for 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.
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The Long Goodbye

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 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 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 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 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 Read all reviews
The Long Goodbye

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Cast & Crew

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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

Movie Clips

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The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Chasing Eileen Wade The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Chasing Eileen Wade 2:11 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Wade's Suicide The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Wade's Suicide 2:10 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Dr. Verringer's Clinic The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Dr. Verringer's Clinic 2:13 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Walter Brennan The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Walter Brennan 2:13 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Broken Bottle, Broken Face The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Broken Bottle, Broken Face 2:13 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Take Off Your Clothes The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Take Off Your Clothes 2:08 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - The Albino Turd The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - The Albino Turd 2:12 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Freedom From Verringer's The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Freedom From Verringer's 2:12 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Interrogation The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - Interrogation 2:12 The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - A Born Loser The Long Goodbye: Official Clip - A Born Loser 2:13 View more videos

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The Long Goodbye

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Movie Info

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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