Back home

Sweet and Lowdown

527 votes

In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.

Status: Released

Released Date: 1999-12-03

Runtime: 95 mins

Director: Woody Allen

Spoken language: English

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Music

Original title: Sweet and Lowdown

Production Companies: Sweetland Films, Jean Doumanian Productions, Magnolia Productions

Production Countries: United States of America

Cast

Sean Penn

Samantha Morton

Anthony LaPaglia

Uma Thurman

James Urbaniak

John Waters

Gretchen Mol

Denis O'Hare

Molly Price

Brian Markinson

Tony Darrow

Daniel Okrent

Brad Garrett

Kaili Vernoff

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Presented in a documentary style, this drama looks at the life of the fictional jazz guitarist "Emmet Ray" (Sean Penn). Now, of course, he is American so is naturally the best in the whole wide world, well second best actually, and that is testified to by frequent obsequious pieces-to-camera from purported experts and then by his own performances as he plays standards from the likes of Django Reinhardt, the masterful Stéphane Grapelli and Duke Ellington. Director Woody Allen has a penchant for this style of music, and as faux-homages go this isn't at all bad. That's really thanks to a strong contribution from Sean Penn as the frankly pretty odious character who's selfishness was probably only eclipsed by his increasing obsession with the shy mute "Hattie" (a gorgeous effort from Samantha Morton) who comes to depend on him, but might he actually come to depend on her too - despite himself? It's a great looking film with plenty of attention to detail, and it does work well at illustrating just how important it is for people to have decent anchors in their lives. The dialogue is all a bit too relentless for me with very little time to come up for air as this rattles along but it's all genuinely and uncomfortably plausible at times, too. Pity about the constant hyperbole, though - how can anyone be the best guitarist? Hmmm?

2024-05-08

Recommendations

Bratislavské jazzové dni

2023-01-01

3.9

The King of Comedy

1982-12-18

Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a la

4.1

The Apartment

1960-06-21

Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to

4.2

Once Upon a Time in America

1984-05-23

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty yea

3.8

Night on Earth

1991-12-12

A quintet of cabbies in five cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night.

3.7

Eyes Wide Shut

1999-07-16

After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill be

3.7

The Devil Wears Prada

2006-06-29

Andy moves to New York to work in the fashion industry. Her boss is extremely demanding, cruel and w

Human Nature

2001-09-12

Obsessive scientist Nathan and his lover, the naturalist Lila, discover Puff: a man born and raised

3.6

Stranger Than Paradise

1984-10-01

A New Yorker's life is thrown into a tailspin when his younger cousin surprise-visits him, starting

3.6

Pi

1998-07-10

A mathematical genius discovers a link between numbers and reality, and thus believes he can predict

3.9

Fail Safe

1964-10-07

Because of a technical defect an American bomber team mistakenly orders the destruction of Moscow. T

3.1

Killing Zoe

1993-10-01

Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and

3.9

The Blues Brothers

1980-06-16

Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home whe

3.7

Once Were Warriors

1994-09-02

A drama about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Lee Tamahori tells the story of Beth H

3.9

Cabrini

2024-03-07

Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini arrives in 1889 New York City and is greeted by disease, crime,

4.3

Michael Bublé at the BBC

2016-11-03

Claudia Winkleman meets Michael Buble in this entertainment spectacular. Michael performs classic tr

Jocks

1984-02-04

One of the few films about Italo Disco, this Riccardo Sesani film follows two young males -- Tom Hoo

The Christmas Hot Dog

2017-12-22

The Egos come together in a plot to change Christmas to January. There's just one problem, Will has

An OMP Christmas

2018-12-08

The Overplayed Music Police reunite in a mega sketch comedy special focused on the greatest Christma

3.5

City of Men

2007-08-31

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers'