SWEET AND LOWDOWN

SWEET AND LOWDOWN (1999) **

Reviewed 12/3/99

Woody Allen returns to his artist-as-asshole thematic in Sweet and Lowdown, but unlike in Deconstructing Harry, Allen this time finds art is not enough. Egomaniacal, misogynistic Emmet Ray (Sean Penn) is the fictional second greatest jazz guitarist in the world. He is second to the real Django Reinhardt, who causes Emmet to faint every time he encounters him. During Ray's misadventures, he meets Hattie (Samantha Morton), a naïve, filial mute who is really into sex, basically one of those glib creations that only exist in the movies. So it is saying a lot that Morton turns her into the most gratifying character in the film. Morton, a British actress who first achieved acclaim with a startling performance in Under the Skin (1997) practically glows as Hattie despite never speaking a word. Sweet and Lowdown's fatal flaw is that Allen does not trust his material enough and so frames it as a documentary with real jazz aficionados including writer Nat Hentoff, film director Douglas McGrath, and Allen himself commenting. But this keeps taking us out of the story and wastes screentime that could otherwise be devoted to character evolution and plot development. Ultimately, these elements remain lacking, and we must content ourselves with the pretty period music (arranged by Dick Hyman) and admirable valor from Penn and Morton. The film also stars Uma Thurman, Brian Markinson, Anthony LaPaglia, and James Urbaniak. John Waters and Gretchen Mol make cameo appearances.