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Cast
Emmet Ray (Sean Penn)
Blanche (Uma Thurman)
Hattie (Samantha Morton)
Al Torrio (Anthony LaPaglia)
Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some substance abuse
Running Time: 93 minutes Distributed by Sony
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the Poster!
Sweet
and Lowdown is a hilarious and original comedy. The film follows
the fictional story of jazz guitarist Emmet Ray (Penn). Emmet
Ray, according to himself, was the second greatest guitarist
of the 1920's and 1930's. The only man Emmet Ray considered
better than him was jazz legend Django Reinhardt. Outside
of having an incredible gift with the guitar, Ray had many
other roles. He was a pimp, seducer, kleptomaniac, he liked
to shoot rats at trash dumps and he liked to watch trains
travel. Emmet Ray and his actions are the subject of Sweet
and Lowdown.
Sweet and Lowdown is a funny movie with outstanding performances
by Sean Penn and Samantha Morton. It is the best Woody Allen
movie that I have ever seen.
Woody
Allen wrote and directed Sweet and Lowdown. His previous credits
include Annie Hall, Sleeper, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Bullets
over Broadway and Mighty Aphrodite. I have only seen 3 or
4 of Allen's films and out of those, Sweet and Lowdown is
the best. Allen just develops one of those unforgettable comedic
characters with Emmet Ray, like Kevin Kline's character in
A Fish Called Wanda, or Dustin Hoffman's character in Wag
the Dog. Allen's script is smoothly written with a little
bit of drama mixed into its comedy. Allen's direction is also
pretty sufficient. He uniquely captures the feel of the 1920's
and 1930's. Examples are that Emmet is always wearing the
typical suits of the time and driving classical cars.
Sean
Penn is fantastic as Emmet Ray. Penn very deservably earn
himself an Oscar nomination last week for his role as Emmet
Ray. In my opinion, Penn is one of the most flexible actors
in Hollywood. He just interpts distinct characters very stylishly
and effectively. Also receiving an Oscar nomination last week
was Samantha Morton for best supporting actor. Morton dynamically
plays Hattie, who is Emmet's mute love interest. Morton conveys
a great performance without saying one word. She lets her
facial expressions and innocent eyes structure her performance.
Also, Uma Thurman gives a swell supporting performance as
Emmet's wife, Blanche.
Sweet
and Lowdown accomplishes its task, which is to entertain you
with laughter. It is a good film with an unforgettable comedic
character.
I
do see Sweet and Lowdown pulling in some revenue from its
wide Oscar release. The film will draw audiences to it to
see the nominated performances by Penn and Morton. Maybe then
a good word of mouth will get started about this film, and
then it will pull in many late ticket sales.
Report
Card Grade: A-
Beastman's
Movie Reviews
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