Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

78% of critics liked it
(59 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(13,017 ratings)

Woody Allen immerses himself in the world of vintage jazz in this period mock-biography of a musician gifted in his art but a sad student in life. Emmet Ray (Sean Penn) is a 1930s jazz guitarist considered one of the finest musicians ever to touch a fretboard, second only to the legendary Django… More Woody Allen immerses himself in the world of vintage jazz in this period mock-biography of a musician gifted in his art but a sad student in life. Emmet Ray (Sean Penn) is a 1930s jazz guitarist considered one of the finest musicians ever to touch a fretboard, second only to the legendary Django Reinhardt. For all the passion and sensitivity of his music, Emmet is a louse off-stage; he earned his living as a pimp before gaining fame, and he throws his money away on flashy clothes and big cars, going through women like guitar picks. He also has another charming hobby: shooting rats at the city dump. But when Emmet meets Hattie (Samantha Morton), a shy, mute woman who earns her living doing laundry, he discovers that she loves his music, and he promptly falls for her. However, his inability to be faithful, his arrogant conviction that a musician should never marry, and his belief that he can do better than Hattie eventually doom their relationship. Emmet later marries Blanche (Uma Thurman), a beautiful and refined woman with a career as an author, but she is no more interested in fidelity than he is, and in time he realizes how foolish he was to give up Hattie. Jazz guitarist Howard Alden plays Emmet's solos on the soundtrack, while several authorities on jazz discuss "Emmet's" music, including Nat Hentoff, Douglas McGrath, and one Woody Allen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Woody Allen
Written By: Woody Allen
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 3, 1999 Limited
On DVD: Jun 20, 2000
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Droll and amusing.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
A shallow portrait of the artist as a cad.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Woody Allen, in his thirtieth outing as writer-director, still shows signs of change, improvement, depth of feeling.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Thanks to Morton's presence, it gets closer to the sweetness of the wonderful Everyone Says I Love You.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
Focusing on the story, the auteur explores his two favorite topics, jazz and s----heels, to enter the new millenium in style.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
... seems to be the latest chapter in a great work on the artist's search for meaning, for self-worth, for redemption.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
If you aren't sure you like jazz, see this movie just to be exposed to the Django sound! Your next trip might be to the record store.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Combining the worst traits of his two most recent outings--the overweening cruelty of Deconstructing Harry and the formal and narrative laziness of Celebrity.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
A pleasant film. It's sweet and low down on my list of Allen favorites, but worth seeing for Penn's performance.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

For some art is therapy. Allen posits that the reverse also holds water, only not quite with this effort. Sean Penn is Allen's willing doppelganger here (not adopting Allen's much copied persona unlike most), a man afraid to connect emotionally to anyone. Can anyone get… More
For some art is therapy. Allen posits that the reverse also holds water, only not quite with this effort. Sean Penn is Allen's willing doppelganger here (not adopting Allen's much copied persona unlike most), a man afraid to connect emotionally to anyone. Can anyone get through his Maginot Line of defenses to get to the soul within? Pathos, instead of laughs, thereby infuses this supposed casual look at self-imposed solitude.
Alice S

Quite delightful. Samantha Morton seriously doesn't need a voice. She has a face! I'm a little iffy about the mockumentary aspect of this movie. For much of it, I thought Emmet Ray was a real person. Then when I learned he wasn't, I wondered why Woody tried to make… More
Quite delightful. Samantha Morton seriously doesn't need a voice. She has a face! I'm a little iffy about the mockumentary aspect of this movie. For much of it, I thought Emmet Ray was a real person. Then when I learned he wasn't, I wondered why Woody tried to make the biography seem so real. He doesn't eschew mixing fantasy and reality in his other films, so why create a Django Reinhardt-esque character who worships Django Reinhardt without differentiating between the real and fictional Django Reinhardts (think Tom Baxter and Gil Shepherd in <i>The Purple Rose of Cairo</i>)? Django Reinhardt.
Anthony L

My favourite Woody Allen film. Penn is top of his game and I fell in love with Samantha Morton in this movie. Uma Thurman is not annoying either which is nice.
Mason W

Sweet and Lowdown is another gem from Woody Allen. Sean Penn and Uma Thurman star in this comedy about a famous jazz musician and his crazy marital and professional life. Sean Penn is very good in this movie.
Jennifer X

Another Woody fare which many describe as one of his "love notes," one track but beautiful. The music is stunning and Samantha Morton is adorable and soulful and magnificent. It doesn't pop out in the monolithic melodramas Woody has managed to fashion but by itself it… More
Another Woody fare which many describe as one of his "love notes," one track but beautiful. The music is stunning and Samantha Morton is adorable and soulful and magnificent. It doesn't pop out in the monolithic melodramas Woody has managed to fashion but by itself it stands up quite well.
Michael S

A wonderful film. Funny, heartfelt, and unique.
Michael G

One of Woody Allen's best movies of all time. Sean Penn is incredible. I can't recommend this movie enough.
Alec B

While its central character is fictitious, "Sweet and Lowdown" serves as an effective portrayal of just about any musical artist who existed in the 30s that we only have a few recordings of and what we know of their lives is more legend than real fact.
Mike T

Amplified by an excellent soundtrack and gorgeous art direction, this is a unique installment in Woody Allen's filmography. In a lot of senses it's a straightforward comedic character study, and it works brilliantly as a showcase for one of Sean Penn's strongest… More
Amplified by an excellent soundtrack and gorgeous art direction, this is a unique installment in Woody Allen's filmography. In a lot of senses it's a straightforward comedic character study, and it works brilliantly as a showcase for one of Sean Penn's strongest performances. Directorially it's a departure from a lot of Allen's other work, and he makes it work very well in that regard. Seeing as he is one of the greatest film writers in history, it goes without saying that this is a well-written piece (aside from a few debatable mis-steps). Overall, it's an entertaining piece that fans of the director (and fans of Sean Penn) should check out.
Erin C

Weird movie...I didn't really like the documentary type stuff. It was pretty funny though at times.