SWEET AND LOWDOWN A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
SWEET AND LOWDOWN, written and directed by Woody Allen, tells the story of Emmett Ray, the world's second greatest jazz guitarist. This legend in his time is played with boyish charm by Sean Penn. Told in talking-head documentary style by jazz historians, the movie paints a vivid portrait of an artist who never really existed.
Emmett, who fainted the two times he ever witnessed his better play, lives an itinerate lifestyle. He may be well known among jazz aficionados, but his propensity to show up for work drunk, late or not at all causes much grief for the owners of the clubs that book him. In order to get by, he does a little pimping on the side. He also steals, but that's just because he's a kleptomaniac.
One day, the relationship-challenged Emmett meets an unlikely date on the boardwalk, a laundry worker named Hattie (Samantha Morton). A homely, sad-sack of a woman, Hattie has no figure and no voice. She had lost the ability to speak due to an illness, and she can't even write legibly to compensate for it. Perhaps the only reason that Emmett is attracted to this woman, whom he ridicules as a "dumb, half-witted orphan," is that she likes sex as much as he. More likely, it's because she demands so little of him. She goes on the road with him, acting in the capacity of a wife, although they never marry.
Late in the story, Emmett is swept off his feet by a striking ex-debutante and would-be writer, Blanche (Uma Thurman). Blanche may have the looks that Hattie doesn't, but she shows neither the love nor the loyalty.
The stories are pleasant enough but not exactly compelling. Sometimes there are even different versions of the same story. Other times, a speaker will tell a story but question the veracity of the person he heard it from.
Thanks to Fei Zhao's radiant cinematography, the picture looks terrific. Shot in warm tones of burgundy and gold, the foreground contrasts nicely with the cold, gray, overcast skies. In a movie in which so little happens -- Emmett likes to wile away his time shooting rats at the dump and watching trains -- the visuals provide much of the enjoyment. The script is remarkably bereft of memorable lines and lacks much of Allen's signature comedic punch.
The movie's fatal mistake is the remarkably underwhelming playing by this putatively famous guitarist. Although the film's jazz background score is lush, Emmett's playing isn't. The song he plays most often isn't likely to wow audiences in the first place -- "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles." Why couldn't they have come up with more impressive musical choices for such a jazz great? When Emmett plays, it's quite pleasant but rarely more than that.
SWEET AND LOWDOWN runs 1:35. It is rated PG-13 for sexual content and some substance abuse and would be fine for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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