Sweet and Lowdown

Rating:
Summary: Sean Penn and Samantha Morton Shine!
Review: All the rumors you hear about Penn's being such the best actor of his generation must be true. In performance after performance, he becomes whomever he needs to become, whether Death Row convict ("Dead Man Walking") or eccentric lover veering into mental illness ("She's So Lovely") or, in this film, Emmet Ray, a jazz guitarist in the early part of the 20th century. I could swear Penn really knows how to play a guitar like Django R, he's so convincing as Emmet Ray! Ray excuses any atrocious behavior he engages in by his standard line to everyone, "But I'm an artist," reminding us of John Cusack's similar role in Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway." Samantha Morton shines as Ray's girlfriend, a mute laundress. Uma Thurman plays the vamp while wearing a stunning wardrobe from the 1920s. Oscar nominations for Penn and Morton were well deserved and, regardless of how you feel about Woody Allen these days, the film stands on its own, especially with the bravura acting ability of Penn and the luminosity of Morton. Allen makes a brief appearance as a narrator in the film but is not a character in it. Penn does NOT play Woody Allen in the film, which is what Allen has been accused of making his leading men do in his most recent films. I have no doubt that Penn COULD play Woody Allen if he wanted to do so but in this film he is Emmet Ray, right down to his toes.

Rating:
Summary: Cannot concentrate
Review: In the original Sweet and Lowdown web site, it was mentioned that Sean Penn learn thirty-some songs for this movie. Prior to making this movie, he never played guitar.

I actually looked forward to seeing amazing guitar-playing, and wanted to see the results of hard work and practices. Alas, that's not to be. The playing was lousy at best, and, of course, most of the scenes of playing were spent on an enlarged view of Penn's visage.

It saddens me much because, since movies like "Amadeus" and "Shine", I expect impeccable playing. Even in "Red Violin" most playing were done very well except for Sylvia Chang's part (sign). And this bad playing bit (really that bad) just ruins my appetite, however good the story is.

I guess this only applies to fuzzy musicians like myself. But it also baffles me since Allen is also a musician. Even Johnny Depp could have been better-suited for this role since he plays decent guitar.

Rating:
Summary: I really think this should have won the academy awards
Review: I hope that Sean Penn and Woodie work together again aned soon. This was a real treasure.

Samantha Morton should have won a best actress even though she had a non-speaking roll. She plays a mute girl friend of Penn's character. Her communication thru facial expressions alone in the film shoud have won Allen a best director

This is a story of a jazz guitar player who is a failure at everything, but his music. He lives in fear of the best guitar player in the world who is his only rival. Penn's character is a kelptomaniac, a pimp, a drunk and womanizer. Allen shows that for all this the man makes only one great mistake in his life. A mistake which no degree of talent can rectify.

I hope this cast and Allen work together again soon.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and well-acted
Review: Sean Penn stars in Woody Allen's look at the life of the legendary jazz guitarist Emmett Ray. With a well-written script and snappy soundtrack, this will make you laugh all the way to the somewhat abrupt ending. Sean Penn does a good job as Emmett Ray and Samantha Morton gives an equally good performance as his mute girlfriend Hattie. Well-worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful Comedy
Review: Emmet Ray (Sean Penn) the self-proclaimed, second greatest jazz guitarist in the world. He's a drunk and womanizer, until he meets Hattie, a yonng mute woman who appears to be the perfect match for him.

This was a nice movie, the script was good but it really needed a little more foundation to build upon. A little more advertisement for this movie wouldn't have hurt.

Rating:
Summary: The man who loves women....
Review: My first husband used to like to shoot rats at the dump. His also liked watching planes take off and land. And, he drank a lot. Maybe if he had played a guitar like Emmett Ray we would still be together. I was 16 when I met him and although not mute like Hattie, I thought he was pretty cool in his Marine uniform. He was basically an insecure guy who had been a battered child like Emmet Ray.

I've been a Woody Allen fan since he was married to Louise Lasseter (Remember the tv series 'Soap'?) -- who looked a bit like Samantha Morton who looks a bit like Mia Farrow. I've seen most of Woody's films, some of them, like "Hannah" and "Annie" muliple times. I think one either is or is not a Woody fan and it seems to be a generational thing. My oldest son says the only film I ever recommended to him that he hated was a Woody Allen film.

My all time favorite is "Hannah and Her Sisters." I hated "Crimes and Misdemeanors" not because it was not a great film, but because of the ending. "Husbands and Wives", "Manhatten Murder Mystery" and "Annie Hall" were all good films. "Everyone Says I Love You" was entertaining -- who else but Woody would ask Tim Roth and Alan Alda to sing? And "Mighty Aphrodite" was a road trip.

Woody has a way of showcasing female actresses, taking advantage of both their ditzy and vulnerable qualities, and making them the heroines of his pieces. Anyone who thinks Woody doesn't like women better take another look at his films. His best find was probably Diane Keaton, although Diane Weist wasn't far behind. Both Dianes won Oscars, Weist won two, working for Woody. Mira Sorvino picked up an oscar, and Samantha Morton almost made it for "Sweet and Lowdown".

"Sweet and Lowdown" has it's funny moments, but it's probably one of the most sad and wistful films Woody has made, and although Ray really is the great artist he says he is (according to one of the narrators he doesn't really believe this), he doesn't really become the GREATEST until he suffers.

The jazz music is fabulous and typical of Woody's films. One piece I've heard in a least a half dozen of his other films ("Play it Again Sam"). I am definitely buying the CD sound track.

Rating:
Summary: Weak and Lowdown
Review: People never seem to agree on Woody Allen movies. I'm generally a fan of his, but this film really is a weak effort. Pace is quite pedestrian and in a disjointed story about characters who are not particularly well developed or interesting. Most unfortunate. This film, not very funny and with no likeable characters, compelling story or fresh gimmick, means a no-recommend for all but the hardest-core Allen fans. Viewing almost any other Woody allen movie would be a better use of your time.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional, A Triumph for Woody!
Review: Sweet and Lowdown is truly a masterpiece, however, I did find it bitter-sweet at times. Sean-Penn is incredible as the ego and cleptomanic Emmett Ray, an exceptional musician on stage and a crude, rude boor off. The juxtaposition between these two personalities is brought out, and very well. the character development by Mr. Allen was perfect. Going to 'da dump ta shoot rat's, and watching trains are his two favorite pastimes, (other than being a womanizer. Samantha Morton as Hattie, a mute, honest, and just plain wonderful person plays perfectly off of Penn's cad-like Emmett Ray. It seemed that she was lifted from a Chaplain classic, and Uma Thurman comes across as a direct parallel to Emmett Ray. As a guiarist and musician, I can tell you that ego's and personalities like Emmett Ray's exist. Five Stars Plus.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Character Study, Fabulous Music
Review: Every so often a film comes along where the music alone is worth the ticket. This is such a film. This is an intriguing character study about a fictional jazz guitarist in the 1930's named Emmet Ray (Sean Penn). Woody Allen, who wrote and directed the film, cleverly uses an autobiographical documentary format, and anyone who is unfamiliar with jazz or didn't know in advance, might easily believe this was a true story. That is a testimonial to Allen's skills, because despite the fact that Ray was a rogue and a degenerate, the whole story seemed extremely believable.

Ray was renowned as the second greatest jazz guitarist in the world, behind a European gypsy named Django Reinhardt. Ray had a deep seated insecurity about being number two, and both times he saw Reinhardt play, he passed out. We follow his meandering life as a musician, pimp and carouser with occasional side trips to watch trains and shoot rats. Unlike most of Allen's films, this one wasn't peppered with stiletto humor and irony. There were some funny bits, but this was mostly a serious character study. Although Ray wasn't an endearing character, he certainly was a fascinating one. That along with the fabulous music made this film work nicely.

I also enjoyed the way Allen shot this film. He gave it a nice old look. The indoor scenes were shot with an amber filter and the entire film had a very soft focus to it. There were lots of good period props and costumes that brought the thirties alive.

I'm not normally a big fan of Sean Penn, but he did a terrific job in the lead role. Penn is not a versatile actor, but he is excellent in certain types of roles. He is adroit at roles that involve gritty, visceral characters with raw and crude emotions. In this regard, he was perfectly cast for this part. The only minor criticism I had was that his guitar fingering was not particularly realistic. Otherwise it was masterful work. His Oscar nomination was well deserved.

This is the second film this month where I've had a chance to see Samantha Morton. I enjoyed her work in 'Dreaming of Joseph Lees' and again here as Hattie. Since Hattie is a mute, Morton didn't have a single line, but she had a pivotal role and a lot of screen time. Morton had to do all her acting with her facial expressions and body language and she was fantastic. I have seen numerous actors who have conveyed less with twenty minutes of dialogue than she did with a single look. She has a very wholesome and amiable quality about her, very genuine and sincere. She seems to be a very promising young talent and I am eager to see her next role.

This film is a must see for anyone who loves jazz and the character study ain't bad either. I rate it an 8/10.

Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of Woody Allen Movie
Review: When Woody Allen strays from what he is best at--comedy--he often slips. He's really hit the bull's eye with this movie, though, a comedy drama about jazz guitarist Emmet Ray, the "best guitarist in the world...except for this gypsy in France," as Ray tells people throughout the movie.

Sean Penn plays Ray, and gives a perfectly pitched performance. Ray is a creep. He pimps, womanizes, drinks, gambles. Penn manages to convey a certain vulnerability to the character, though, so that even as we abhor his behavior, we pity him.

Samantha Morton plays his mute girlfriend. What she is able to convey through facial expressions...well, she should have won the Oscar. Her performance is, at times, heartwrenching...and without being maudlin.

Ray's story is pieced together from anecdotes that have been handed down over the years--legends, and even if they don't make for authoritative biography, they make for an awfully good movie. Even viewers who have never been big Woody Allen fans can enjoy this one--there is none of that manic, stuttering, neurotic slapstick that characterizes mainstream WA comedy.

Defintely worth a look.