Rating: 
Summary: Sweet & Upbeat!
Review: This is the best Woody Allen movie I've seen. I enjoyed every moment. The characters were well cast, superbly acted and the plot cleverly formed, as if it were the documentary of a real guitarist.One of the biggest stars of the movie is the music! If you like guitar music "Sweet and Lowdown" is a must! We bought the soundtrack CD right after seeing the DVD. No mention is made, in any review I've seen, of Henry Aldren ... the guitarist who did the actual guitar solos supposedly done by Sean Penn as Emmett Ray. His technique is awesome. The styles are fashioned after that of Django Rheinhart but Aldren's talent is still there and the music is wonderful. I intend seeing this movie several times before I tire of it. And the music I'll probably never get tired of hearing.
Rating: 
Summary: All about performance
Review: Mercifully, Woody Allen appears in this film only as one of many narrators--all either jazz critics or DJ's--which is why I was willing to watch it at all. Unlike the films, post Annie Hall, in which the unbeautiful Allen invariably plays a "romantic" lead, he has, this time out, stayed out of the camera's way to create what amounts to a biopic of legendary, yet little-known, guitarist Emmett Ray--considered by many to be the second greatest jazz guitarist ever, after Django Rheinhardt. Penn's performance as the gambling, drunken, pimping, egocentric, unfeeling Ray (who faints at the sight of Django and weeps at the sound of his music) is just terrific. Better yet is Samantha Morton's portrait of the mute Hattie, with whom Ray lives off and on for a number of years. In truth, this is Morton's movie. She is heartbreakingly good as the forever-eating, lovestruck young woman who, at the sound of Penn's/Ray's rendition of "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" loses her heart. The music is the other star of this film; it is great stuff--a soundtrack worth having for lovers of early jazz. And if the Ray tracks are anything to go by, he was, indeed, the second greatest guitarist of our times. A film worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Average
Review: Sean Penn is a Very Talented Artist easily one of the Baddest over the past 15 Years easily.Woody Allen is one of the Baddest Directors Ever but this Film isn't among His Best but still Better than Average.I enjoyed the Guitar Playing&the Way Relationships are Displayed through out.but the Comedy&overall feel of the story never fully develops.still worth checking out for Penn&Morton.
Rating:
Summary: Lightweigt Allen is still a comedic pleasure
Review: Director Woody Allen made 32 movies between 1966 and 1999. That's about one per year. He was young when his career took off; in fact, he was famous before he got behind the camera. The early days were remarkable, and he hit his peak in 1977 with Annie Hall which won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Since then he has received eleven more nominations and won one additional statuette. In 1972 he was lured to Hollywood to direct a big budget comedy called Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, which was a boxoffice hit but a critical bomb. Ever since, the director has stayed put in New York and made only small budget movies characterized by high profile stars, literate scripts, and stories generally centered around his phobias and obsessions. His movies quit making money in the 1990s because, I suspect, he and his style went out of fashion. Still, he remains one of America's great directors, and Sweet and Lowdown, while one of his more lightweight efforts, is a delightful treat. Sweet and Lowdown is the story of Emmett Ray [Sean Penn], the world's second best jazz guitarist 1930s. It unfolds in the style of a documentary, and, while everything is made up, Allen makes it so convincing that I know of one reviewer who fell for it and wrote as if Ray had been a real musician. Ray is a complex character, a true artist. He loves women, but they, along with everything else in this world, take a back seat to music, his one true love. He is reckless and impulsive. He drinks and gambles far too much. One day he meets a mute girl named Hattie [Samantha Morton]. It's love at first sight for her, although it's never clear if she's in love with him, his music or both. A compulsive talker, Emmett has much trouble dealing with her at first, but their relationship builds over time. He can't stand to be tied down. He eventually ditches her, only to realize later he really loves her. Later, Emmett marries Blanche [Uma Thurman], a sophisticated but batty writer who is constantly asking him why he is feeling what he is feeling. This drives him crazy, epescially since he never has an answer, and the marraige never stands a chance. Sean Penn, who claimed he was retiring from acting a decade ago, is remarkable as Emmett Ray. He learned the guitar from the musician who actually plays on the soundtrack, and he is so good at it that no trick shots were required. His body language in the movie says artistic type perpetually on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He's both amusing and sad to watch. Samantha Morton nearly steals the spotlight as Hattie. Since she plays a mute, she has no dialog. She expresses everything with her eyes and her expressions. There is drama in Sweet and Lowdown, but primarily it's a comedy, one of Allen's best recently.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet and subtle
Review: 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!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Sean Penn does a good job of playing a jerk.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Memorable Film, One of Allen's Best
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: chicago, perhaps
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Boring as hell
Review: 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.
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