Sweet and Lowdown

Woody Allen's faux bio-pic purports to chart the career of a 1930s musician named Emmet Ray, "the second greatest jazz guitarist in the world" next to the legendary Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. Episodes of Ray's life are juxtaposed with "commentary" by jazz experts such as Nat Hentoff and even Allen himself, playing and replaying stories that loom large in the Ray "legend." But as with most of Allen's recent films, Sweet and Lowdown is perhaps of most interest to those prone to deconstructing Woody, and they'll have a field day with Ray (Oscar-nominee Sean Penn), one of the least sympathetic characters Allen has yet created. He's a miserable human being--except when he's making music--who justifies his wretched behavior by declaring "I am a great artist." This tired point, which has become a recurring theme in Allen's most recent films, is driven home when another character notes of Ray, "Such is the ego of genius. Must get used to it." Right; no doubt this is what the image-tarnished Allen wishes of us, too. The film's saving grace is Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton as Hattie, a--get this--mute laundress with whom Emmet is reluctantly paired on a blind date, and whose unconditional love proves his undoing. Downbeat, not very funny, and not likely to win Allen any new fans. An optional purchase for its Oscar cachet. (K. Lee Benson)