Sweet and Lowdown Review
by "Walter Frith" (wfrith AT cgocable DOT net)March 5th, 2000
'Sweet and Lowdown' (1999)
A movie review by Walter Frith
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Member of the 'Online Film Critics Society'
http://www.ofcs.org
'Sweet and Lowdown' is one of those films from a cinematic genius where you don't need the credits to tell you who's directing it. You could blindfold someone throughout the opening credits and take the blindfold off and while watching it, know that it's being directed by Woody Allen. There is a bit of a cheat to this theory as Allen himself appears in a visual narration along with others to discuss the film's main character but you would still know it's a Woody Allen film without it and they say a great director can see a finished film in his head and Allen is one of those great directors.
Sean Penn, a remarkably under rated actor and former best actor Oscar nominee for 'Dead Man Walking' in 1995, gives a grand performance from a rather cliched (but yet entertaining) script by Allen. Penn plays Emmet Ray, a little known jazz guitarist during the 1930's who was rumoured to be second best in the world and some actually thought he WAS #1.
He drinks, he can't handle money, he pimps, he womanizes and has all of those typical flaws that is usually associated with genius in a Hollywood film. I have my doubts about this theory on the part of many film makers. They say Mozart died of a serious illness such as pneumonia, a high fever or the flu, yet 1984's 'Amadeus' chose to show that he died in much the same manner as Elvis Presley, presumably heart failure brought on by being full of drugs and from severe exhaustion.
Emmet's idol is Django Reinhardt, considered the best jazz guitarist in the world by most and Emmet actually has dizzy spells, is capable of fainting and/or becoming ill when he's in the presence of this man. This is made very clear early in the film and 'Sweet and Lowdown has a wonderful rhythm to it that captures the period it is displaying just perfectly. As we progress into the first half hour or so, Emmet is making the rounds, playing from club to club, generating controversy and trying to spice up his stage act anyway he can. He creates a quarter shaped moon as a prop in which he will attach a seat and be lowered down on during the beginning of his act. It's a disaster on its first try and is never used again.
Emmet meets Hattie (Samantha Morton), a mute girl with a heart of gold. She does laundry for a living, wears baggy clothes and big shoes and is about as "plain jane" as they come. She is fond of Emmet and the two of them consummate their relationship with each other early and this is in keeping with Allen's liberal theme of relationships, something which is going to be his legacy among film historians. Emmet tires of Hattie and can't stay on the wagon long enough to appreciate the genuine care she has for him and he must explore the world he knows very little about. He hooks up with Blanche (Uma Thurman). She likes fancy clothes, cigarette holders and the wild side. Right up Emmet's alley so to speak. Too bad their relationship is synthetic and unloving. The really exciting part of the film comes when Emmet suspects Blanche of infidelity and finds out that she is dating a hit man (Anthony LaPaglia) and tags along one day to prove his theory by hiding in the back seat of a car and becomes the unwitting individual involved in a hold-up, police chase and auto accident. This is a theory that is put forward by one of the historians during the film and is humourous since there are many stories told and shown as too EXACTLY what did happen.
Woody Allen has a knack for turning out about one film a year and can't be accused of repetition as much as some would like to tease him about it. As far as period pieces go, Allen has another gem from the 1990's entitled 'Bullets Over Broadway' which is a cousin to 'Sweet and Lowdown' in its depiction of a period piece. It has a bit more of a neurotic flare that Allen is also famous for putting in his films but 'Sweet and Lowdown' is sort of a series of snapshots all put together in a very docile fashion and entertains as smoothly as the music it is telling a story about.
As for the performances, I think Sean Penn could be Oscar bound for this film from recognition he missed last year for 'Hurlyburly', a film I hated but which was high on many critic's lists for Penn's performance. I've always like Penn, even back in the 1980's when he played such parts in 'Racing With the Moon', 'The Falcon and the Snowman' and 'Colors'. Samantha Morton is also great in a role of gestures and facial expressions, a much more difficult part than one which is dialogue driven. As a mute, she must communicate differently and she does it in an almost psychic performance where we can hear her thoughts and feel her emotions. 'Sweet and Lowdown' is one of the high points of Woody Allen's career in the 90's, a decade in which Allen refused to follow the Hollywood studio system and still clings to his roots from two decades gone by. What a guy!
OUT OF 5 > * * * 1/2
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* * * * * - a must see
* * * * 1/2 - don't miss it
* * * * - an excellent film
* * * 1/2 - a marginal recommendation
* * * - can't quite recommend it
* * 1/2 - don't recommend it
* * - avoid it
* 1/2 - avoid it seriously
* - avoid it AT ALL COSTS
1/2 - see it at your own risk
zero - may be hazardous to your health
More on 'Sweet and Lowdown'...
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