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Sean Penn At His Best!

Sweet and Lowdown is a must see! Sean Penn and Samantha Morton are absolute perfection. I've never been a huge Woody Allen fan, but he really knew what he was doing with this film.

Classic Woody

As a Woody Allen fan, I'm always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this film will appeal to Woody fans and non-Woody fans alike. The two central performances from Sean Penn and Samantha Morton are nothing less than stunning. Penn plays a guitar vituoso who falls in love with a mute girl. He harps on about being a genius and therefore not being able to commit to any one woman, but finally realises that this commitment is necessary, and is particularly necessary if he is to attain his full potential as an artist.

Beautifully photographed, great music, amazing acting - this film has the lot. Unusually for a Woody Allen film it is not focussed in New York and moves across America giving a great sense of time and place. After Celebrity and Deconstructing Harry, this is Woody at his most accessible and poignant. A love story; a tale of artistic torment and a picture of America in the Great Depression, this is a must see film.

This is Woody's best since Bullets Over Broadway, and it ranks up there with Husbands and Wives and Manhattan as an emotional and often funny testament to the resilience (and weakness) of the heart.

One of the Few

In the previous review (the one before this, for all those who dont know) nonsensical statements were made, and although its intentions appear to be well, I will assure you that it does not do a film of this calibur justice. As you all should know Woody Allen is of the greatest of the comical entertainers, preformers, what have you. A movie like this he has been attempting to hatch for a while now. It is movies like these that make his work serious. A Big spending happy-go-lucky, Womanizing Drunken pimp gambler who attempts to swindle his way through everything as he struggles at becoming the greatest guitar player in the world is acted with exceptional talent by Sean Penn. Penn holds a spot in the group my father has dubbed as "One of the few" - meaning that there are very few actors who focus on their careers and do not eat up all the fame and Sean Penn is one of them. He is no Spicolli, that,.. my anti-freind is insult. Sean Penn does not play one role twice. What he masterfully accomplishes is the best character to take on Woody Allen like traits in a very Woody Allen like character without trying to act like or be Woody Allen. Shear excellence on his part....and for that matter all those involved. There is however a reason why I decided not to give this film one more star. You must understand, that by being a very supportive fan of Woody's I will not go into enormous description concerning these self thought flaws to the film. I will simply state what I believe to be true, that being a too jumbled and quick ending as well as in between mock interviews that, No did not hold up to the standards put fourth by Zelig. I also can not leave on a sour note so I will conclude by paying a respect to all those involved in the picture and espicially to the Amazing actor Sean Penn and overly amazing director/writer/actor Woody Allen who proves time and time again to be a great story teller as well as one of its actors.

spicoli revisited...

emmett ray is a gem... spicoli at 35... a bit weary from thefight of life perhaps, but still charming as hell... you loved spicolieven though he was completely self-absorbed because he was so full of hope and to expect epiphany from him was unreasonable 'cause he was 17... in emmett ray we find spicoli in his last days of insulation... like spicoli's weed, emmett ray has his guitar-playing to keep him from the horrors of life and the pain of his feelings... his genius in playing the guitar, like spicoli with weed, turns a frightened man into one of the most engaging characters the screen has ever seen... ultimately, though, emmett ray is not 17 anymore... he's found and lost what makes him happy and realizes it's gone forever... in that moment, penn unleashes the pain that lay just behind spicoli's smile and gives an even added dimension, something previously thought unimaginable, to one of the greatest characters ever created(spicoli)...

Woody's Best in Years

I was never a big Woody Allen fan. To tell the truth I always found that his "acclaimed" comedies like "Annie Hall" or "Manhattan" were pretensious and overated. Every so often though Allen directs a movie which strikes me as pure genius. "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Crimes and Misdemeanours" are both fabulous character driven drama's. Without a doubt "Sweet and Lowdown" is as good as both of those films.

What really puts "Sweet and Lowdown" above most movies is the superb performances. Sean Penn and Samantha Morton each turn in the best performances of their careers. Penn plays an arrogant jazz guitarist who's life has been reconstructed for this film based on opinions and alledged stories. Morton plays his deaf girlfriend who over the years becomes dependant upon him.

Watching the two play their roles perfectly is the real pleasure of this movie. Penn is full of bluster but is constantly alluding to a sensitive side that never really comes out. Morton as the deaf girl is splendid. She deserved the Oscar she was nominated for as her subtlety and facial gestures are what makes this performance a gem.

The script is of course well written and amusing. Allen has finally veered away (if only for a little bit) from his neurotic pacing. After the dismal and unfunny "Celebrity" in which Kenneth Branagh did a karaoke Woody Allen it is nice to see him scrap the neurosis all together.

"Sweet and Lowdown" is essentially a character study. Sweet vs Lowdown, innocence vs arrogance etc... The film works magnificently and is certanly the best film Allen has produced in ten or so years.

To see it is to love it....

A Woody Allen masterpiece and although I love Woody Allen, I don't say that about all his movies. I was especially impressed with the acting and the complex characters presented in the film. Sean Penn plays Emmet Ray, an incredibly talented Jazz guitarist who is every bit aware of it (annoyingly so) and uses every opportunity to boast about how he is one of the best guitarists in the world, second only to the great Django Reinhart. Yet, this fact seems to be one that haunts him constantly and keeps him insecure and vulnerable despite all the fronts he puts up. His love life is also one to ponder. Ray is a brutish, uncaring, and unfaithful lover to every woman he has ever known. He does not change his ways much, even after he meets the right woman, Hattie, played by Samantha Morton. Hattie is a mute girl which seems to be right up Ray's alley, since she never questions or challenges him as his other girlfriend's had. Hattie's sweetness and unwavering devotion to Ray ironically are not really perceived as signs of weakness but rather almost elevate Hattie to somewhat of a modern-day heroine who, through her love, is able to transform the ways of Ray to make him want to be a better man.

Woody back to basics.

It's such a shame that Woody Allen's films just aren't opened to the large audiences anymore. Sweet and Lowdown, Allen's latest comedic invention, is a film that seems to go back to style of comedic farce and character study that Woody took on in his first major films. At times a mock documentary in the vein of "Take the Money and Run" and "Zelig", Sweet and Lowdown is a more mature film that has a lot more notes to it than the early movies. This film also features something that no other Allen film has had - a truly transformative performance from an actor. Sean Penn and Allen paint such a quircky and complex character that I actually left the theatre thinking Emmitt Ray must have been a real person. Surely no filmakers and actor could come up with such a figure. But alas they did and this is the magic of this film which also features great supporting work and good music to boot.

Sweet and subtle

Sean Penn fans must see this because he plays an obnoxious person, completely full of himself, but you love him and see why he turned out the way he did because Sean's performance is utterly full and flawless. Everyone knows someone like Emmet Ray, amd Sean makes you see them in a sweet, terrified light that is so subtle that you have to see this film over again to get it all. Sean's got a way of bringing out emotions so personal that you almost can't watch. Sweet!!!!!

Sean Penn does a good job of playing a jerk.

Sweet and Lowdown is presented as a pseudo documentary homage by jazz aficionados to the career of an obscure jazz guitarist from the 30's and 40's. Sean Penn plays Emmett Ray, who is a drunk, a womanizer and a wastrel. He is shallow and self-centered. In fact, if it were not for his guitar playing, there is absolutely no reason why anyone would have any interest in him. This character is a walking disaster. To get near him emotionally is to be contaminated by toxic waste. The conclusion has to be that jazz buffs should be content dealing with the work output and ignoring the lives of the artists.

The heart of the movie is the question, does genius excuse using/abusing other people? The answer in Sweet and Lowdown is an unequivocal "No". The problem for Sweet and Lowdown as a movie is that it is easy enough to see what a jerk Emmett Ray is. However, since he is such a jerk, we do not care about him. Moreover, if we don't care about him why we would bother to watch a movie about him? I do not have an answer for that. It appears that Woody Allen has produced a movie which proves that watching that particular movie is a waste of time.

Memorable Film, One of Allen's Best

Throughout history, especially when the world was a much bigger place, before the time that whenever a "celebrity" sneezed it was front page tabloid news, how many truly great artists-- those of genius, even-- went unknown, unheralded and unrecognized to the end? Perhaps there was another Monet in our midst who, for whatever reason, was never noticed; who can say with any certainty there was not, or is not? It's a consideration writer/director Woody Allen examines in his often humorous, and more often poignant, "Sweet and Lowdown," starring Sean Penn and Samantha Morton. In it, Allen chronicles the life of the fictitious Emmet Ray (Penn), who just may have been the second greatest guitar player in the world during the `30s.

Allen employs the effective (in his hands) storytelling device of "interviews" with those who knew Ray in one capacity or another, to fill in the gaps as he attempts to draw a picture of this talented genius, about whom very little is really known. Only a handful of recordings-- made during the final years-- remain of who and what Ray is, or was. The portrait that comes into focus is that of a man, who though gifted as a musician, had a bit more trouble when it came to living his day to day life. Self-centered, irresponsible and taken to drink, he was something of a lowdown character. Then, one day in Atlantic City, Ray meets a sweet, young girl, Hattie (Morton), and they begin a relationship of sorts. The problem is, Ray is a self professed free spirit, an artist, who goes where he wants and does what he wants. Not exactly conducive to a sold relationship. But inbetween, there's the music; and, as Ray himself will tell anyone who will listen, he's the best guitar player in the world, with the possible exception of this "gypsy in France, "-- Django Reinhardt. And so, for your consideration, this is Emmet Ray-- the story of the man, and the woman who loved him.

Told in his inimitable, signature style, Allen presents his fiction in humanistic terms that bring Emmet Ray and his times to life in transporting fashion. He successfully captures the essence and ambience of the era, just as he did with "Radio Days," in 1987. This time period-- circa 1930-- is something of Allen's forte, in fact. Few contemporary directors in even fewer films have managed to depict it so vividly and believably as Allen has here. Through Ray, he takes you into the life itself, behind the scenes, as it were, and gives you a real sense of what these times were all about. And, in conjunction with the interviews that lead to the flash-backs, it makes Ray seem as real as any figure in history you'd come to know through the respective media of film or print. The story is engaging and devoid of pretense, and Allen tempers his own ego and presents it in a way that makes this one, arguably, one of his best films.

Penn, who should have won an Oscar for his work in "Dead Man Walking," received a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Emmet Ray, and deservedly so, though he was edged out by Kevin Spacey, who received the award for "American Beauty" that year (Russell Crowe was also in the running for "The Insider"-- quite a year!). There were no losers that year, however (as they say), as-- the award business aside-- Penn's performance is one of the most affecting of his career. The Ray he presents is a total, well-rounded and three-dimensional character. Watching him is like seeing the history of someone unfold before your eyes; not an actor, but a very real person, complete with every detail and flaw of his day to day existence. It's terrific work that, with Allen's guidance, immerses you totally in the story and in Ray's life.

As Hattie, Samantha Morton is like the second coming of Giulietta Masina; like Fellini's wife and star, she is wonderfully expressive and able to convey so much with a movement of her eyes or just a glance, so reminiscent of Masina's Gelsomina in "La Strada." And though outwardly Hattie is fairly reserved, Morton leaves no doubt that within her there is need and desire, but with little expectation. This is a young woman who is vulnerable and has known pain; someone with whom you readily empathize. When she hooks up with Ray, it quickly becomes a matter of concern, because you care for Hattie, and from the outset you realize that this relationship is going to be fragile, at best. It's an inspired performance that landed Morton a nomination for Best Supporting Actress-- and she certainly deserved it (ultimately, it went to Angelina Jolie for "Girl, Interrupted").

Uma Thurman turns in a memorable performance, as well, as Blanche, a writer who crosses paths with Ray and has a significant impact on his life. Thurman makes Blanche credible, and she looks amazing, too. The "'30s" look suits her extremely well, and cinematographer Zhao Fei (who did a magnificent job with this entire film) captures her best angles and achieves what just may be the best presentation of Thurman in any film yet. It's a supporting, but pivotal role, and Thurman does it quite well.

The supporting cast includes Anthony LaPaglia (Al Torrio), Dan Moran (Boss), Brian Markinson (Bill Shields), Tony Darrow (Ben), Gretchen Mol (Ellie), John Waters (Mr. Haynes), Brad Garrett (Joe Bedloe), Carolyn Saxon (Phyliss) and Molly Price (Ann). When Woody Allen is "on," his films are insightful and entertaining, and while subtle, are vibrantly alive. All of which is the case with "Sweet and Lowdown," in which he demonstrates-- his own personal neuroses notwithstanding-- his grasp and understanding of human nature-- what it is that underneath it all really makes people tick. He's no Ingmar Bergman, but at his best, he's at least a reasonable facsimile. And this IS on of his best. It's the magic of the movies.

chicago, perhaps

you would enjoy a motion picture a bit more suited towards your own musical taste.may i suggest COYOTE UGLY or CANT STOP THE MUSIC.

Spectacular...

My favorite movie. In my opinion, Woody Allen's best. Highly entertaining for jazz lovers, Sean Penn fans, guitarists, musicians of all sorts, Woody Allen fans, non-Woody Allen fans, film buffs, and pretty much anyone who likes to have a good laugh. Sean Penn plays the typical jerk musician- and if you know any musicians yourself, you may recognize some of the eccentricites. Samantha Morton plays a not-too-bright mute, brilliantly. If you've never seen her before, you will fall in love with her whan you see this film.

Boring as hell

I rented the movie thinking it was going to be a good movie, boy I was disappointed.I was hoping to hear about the big stars who really knew him.It was more like a third person story. I didn't find the movie to be very appealing or funny. I fell asleep watching the movie to find Sean Penn smashing his guitar. That was the ending. I was hoping to see him get shot or die of a drug overdose. He didnot look like he was playing the guitar. They should have removed the strings and have him lipsynching the songs.

Penn and Morton are terrific!

A minor rebound after last year's disappointing "Celebrity", but still fairly insubstantial compared to the Woodman's past works. The best part of the film is Samantha Morton as the film picks up everytime she's on screen. Her hot/cold, bittersweet relationship with Emmet Ray is the highlight of the film. Penn also does a great job picking at the guitar. Looked like a real pro.

KBC

I am a guitar player and really appreciated the music. I thought Sean Penn was spectacular in the part and did a great job fingering the guitar. Very realistic! The character Emmett Ray was unbelievable but most entertaining. Sweet and Lowdown is a DVD I will watch over and over.

Something a Little Different from Woody Allen

I've never been a big fan of Woody Allen's more mainstream movies, but I really liked this film. Allen draws upon his knowledge of jazz to bring the life of fictional jazz guitarist Emmett Ray (the second greatest jazz guitarist in the world), and a completely irresponsible and idiosynchratic person. Who else would take his dates to the dump to shoot rats? Despite his considerable talent, Emmett lives in fear of his idol, the great Django Rheinhardt. For those of you unfamiliar with jazz, Rheinhardt really existed and during his lifetime was one of the finest guitar players the world has ever known.

Sean Penn, an actor who is sadly better known for his brief marriage to Madonna than for his considerable acting skills, turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as Emmett, playing him as a lovable but quirky and ultimately vulnerable character (Penn received an Oscar nomination for this portrayal, incidentally). Uma Thurman appears briefly as Ray's socialite wife who marries him more out of curiosity than love. Samantha Morton practically steals the movie away from Penn as the deaf-mute girlfriend who unconditionally loves him despite Emmett's inherent self-centeredness and lack of trustworthiness. The director appears briefly explaining the life and times of Emmett in documentary style. Although I didn't particularly care for this way of presenting the picture, it was at most a minor distraction.

Whether you're a jazz afficianado or just appreciate an interesting character study, this motion picture is worth a look.

any of sean penn

I do not like him.So Ido not watch his moves.

Great Story, Great Acting, Great Music

I was delighted to stumble onto this film. I am a great fan of Django Reinhardt and was pleased to learn about Emmett Ray. In fact, I am eager to find out how to get a hold of any or all of Mr. Ray's recordings. If anyone knows how to, I would appreciate a note emailed to me at 'sunkenlove@aol.com'. This man was an extraordinary talent and I could listen to his music all day. Sean Penn is amazing and continues to prove that he is one of our great American actors. He is one of my favorites. The actress playing Hattie is sweet and sincere and also astonishing. It was delight to watch her too. Pick up this film and take a ride to the magical world of the depression era and jazz music.

Another interesting failure for Woody

This film starts out well, and is excellent much of the time, particular the scenes with Penn and Samantha Morton (whose performance is Oscar-worthy, but eventually slides back into the same old Woody Allen stick that hasn't really seemed fresh for at least a decade of films. Unless you are a hardcore Allen fan, this movie will probably lose you about halfway through,

Woody Allen looks at an artist and his ego. A fine movie.

I was lucky enough to see Woody Allen's 1999 release "Sweet and Lowdown" in the theater, twice in fact! I say "lucky" not only because this is an enjoyable and clever film, but because the film only played for a short while, and mainly in small "arthouse" theaters. This is really a shame, because "Sweet and Lowdown" could easily have appealed to wide audience, and not only to those who frequent Woody Allen films. This is the bittersweet tale of Emmett Ray, a fictional depression-era jazz guitar legend who is cursed with an ego of truly IMMENSE proportions! Arrogant ol' Emmett would love you to believe that he is the greatest musician to ever strap on a guitar, but his love/hate relationship with real-life guitar legend Django Reinhardt gives us a hint of his underlying insecurity. Emmett, played with utter precision by Sean Penn, is the kind of self-worshiping, self-absorbed "artist" who walks all over those close to him without really noticing them. The flippant way in which Emmett treats the women in his life is downright disgraceful, and is sometimes even painful to watch thanks to Penn's expert acting. The story is told in a sort of PBS doumentary style, with several "jazz experts" (including Woody Allen as himself) providing much of the details of his life through on-camera interviews and voice over narration. The story follows the ups and downs (mostly downs) of Emmett's musical career and private life, and gives us both lighthearted comedy and subtle food-for-thought along the way. Emmett is a man completely out of touch with his own emotions, and the film realistically portrays the outworkings of an artistic ego running out-of-control. A highlight of "Sweet and Lowdown" is the stellar performance of British actress Samantha Morton as one of Emmett's put-upon lady friends, an all-too-understanding mute girl named Hattie. Morton lights up the screen with her unusual screen presence, and in the course of the story she wins us over with her genuine sweetness. (Was the title "Sweet and Lowdown" meant to refer to the unbalanced relationship between Hattie and Emmett?). As you would expect from a film written and directed by Woody Allen, the dialogue is sharp throughout, and the films visual style keeps the story moving forward in a positive way. If you are looking for an alternative to all of the standard Hollywood fare of today, then "Sweet and Lowdown" may be just what you are looking for!