Sweet and Lowdown Review

by Michael Dequina (twotrey AT juno DOT com)
December 13th, 1999
_Sweet_and_Lowdown_ (PG-13) *** (out of ****)

"Lowdown" describes the main character in Woody Allen's annual project, an anecdotal look at the life of Emmet Ray (Sean Penn), a gifted jazz guitarist from the '30s whose skills and talent rank second only to his idol, gypsy Django Reinhardt. While he cries while listening to Django's recordings and had fainted the two times he had seen him in person, the true number one in Emmet's book is Emmet himself. Boozy, a jerk to everyone around him, and legendarily self-absorbed, it's amazing that Emmet's story has ever been told before.

The reason why it hasn't is simple: Emmet is a completely fictional character, and the documentary-style talking head introductions to the film's individual vignettes (by jazz historians and enthusiasts, including Allen himself) go a long way in convincing the audience of the film's truth. Adding to the authenticity are the performances. Penn is hilarious as the pompous Emmet, but even better is the "sweet" component of the film's title: Samantha Morton, who plays Emmet's long-suffering laundress girlfriend Hattie--who happens to be mute. Morton is an absolute delight, and her marvelously cute and expressive face speak volumes more than any lines of dialogue ever could. There's a reason why "sweet" comes before "lowdown" in the title, and Morton is it.

Michael Dequina
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