Sweet and Lowdown Photos

View All Photos

Cast

Sean Penn
as Emmet Ray

Samantha Morton
as Hattie

Uma Thurman
as Blanche

James Urbaniak
as Harry

Brian Markinson
as Bill Shields

John Waters
as Mr. Haynes

Vincent Guastaferro
as Sid Bishop

Constance Schulman
as Hazel

Gretchen Mol
as Ellie

Kaili Vernoff
as Gracie

Anthony LaPaglia
as Al Torrio

Woody Allen
as himself

Nat Hentoff
as Himself

Mark Damon Johnson
as Omer

Rick Monday
as Chester Weems

Marc Damon Johnson
as Omer

Ron Cephas Jones
as Alvin

Carolyn Saxon
as Phyliss

Carole Bayeux
as Rita, Opium Party Hostess

Michael Sprague
as Django Reinhardt

Ben Duncan
as Himself

Douglas McGrath
as Himself

Daniel Okrent
as A.J. Pickman

Dan Moran
as Boss

Tony Darrow
as Ben

Chris Bauer
as Ace, Pool Player

Constance Shulman
as Hazel, Hooker No. 1

Kellie Overbey
as Iris, Hooker No. 2

Darryl Alan Reed
as Don

Steve Bargonetti
as Musician Friend

Benjamin Franklin Brown
as Musician Friend

Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks
as Bass Player No. 1

Emme Kemp
as Jam Session Musician

Clark Gayton
as Jam Session Musician

Marcus McLaurine
as Jam Session Musician

Drummond Erskine
as First Hobo

Joe Ambrose
as Second Hobo

Molly Price
as Ann

Joe Rigano
as Stagehand

Denis O'Hare
as Jake

Dennis Stein
as Dick Ruth, Club Owner

Katie Hamill
as Mary

Paula Parrish
as Party Guest

Cory Solar
as Party Guest

Lexi Egz
as Party Guest

Yvette Mercedes
as Party Guest

Peter Leung
as Party Guest

William Addy
as Master of Ceremonies

Dick Monday
as Chester Weems

Mary Stout
as Felicity Thomson, Amateur Singer

Dick Mingalone
as Birdman

Joseph L. "Mr. Spoons" Jones
as Spoon Player

Carol Woods
as Helen Minton

Josh Mowery
as Movie Director

Fred Goehner
as William Weston

Eddy Davis
as Bass Player No. 2

Ralph Pope
as Panhandler

Jerome Richardson
as Club Musician

Earl P. McIntyre
as Club Musician

James Williams
as Club Musician

Frank Wellington Wess
as Club Musician

Al Bryant
as Club Musician

Ray Garvey
as Club Manager

Sally Placksin
as Sally Jillian

Lola Pashalinski
as Blanche's Friend

Simon Wettenhall
as Jam Session Musician

Orange Kellin
as Jam Session Musician

Brooks Giles III
as Jam Session Musician

Brad Garrett
as Joe Bedloe

Alfred Sauchelli Jr.
as Ned, Pool Player

Michael Bolus
as Lynch, Bar Room Friend

Mick O'Rourke
as Holdup Man

John P. McLaughlin
as Holdup Man

Chuck Lewkowicz
as Police Officer

Rick Mowat
as Flat Tire Man

Ted Wilkins
as Gas Station Inspector

View All

News & Interviews for Sweet and Lowdown

Critic Reviews for Sweet and Lowdown

Audience Reviews for Sweet and Lowdown

• Apr 23, 2014

  Allen's homage to his jazz love was a little seen film but it is nonetheless very redeeming. Penn does his usual marvelous job. Worth revisiting.
  

  John B Super Reviewer
• Sep 26, 2011

  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.
  Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
• Aug 03, 2011

  This breezy mockumentary is Woody Allen's loving tribute to period (1930s) Jazz music. The fictitious Emmet Ray is considered to be the world's best jazz guitarist, if not guitarist in general, second only to his idol Django Reinhardt. The film follows Ray's career throughout the 30s (with occasional talking head contributions) as he goes from gig to gig lighting the places up. Offstage however, his life is a mess. Before he becomes famous, he makes his living as a small time pimp, and his favorite hobbies are shooting rats and watching trains. He's not savvy with his money, and he's rather temperamental, but, when you can get him settled down, he's quite something. He's not big on love, feeling that it will ruin his career, but he finds himself drawn to a mute laundress named Hattie, especially when he finds that she loves his music. However, his penchant for infidelity sees him running off and eventually impulsively marrying a high society woman named Blanche. For reasons that I don't want to get into, and seem nutty anyway, things fall apart with Blanche, but there is a bit of redemption and hope here for Ray. One of the amazing things here is that Ray is basically a shiftless, unlikable asshole, but yet you can't help but kinda feel for him and want to see him get through life okay. The film cooks along quite nicely, but then kinda falls apart at the end with a bit of rushed anti-climax. That aside, this film is pretty solid. I liked the mockumentary approach with the talking heads, and this also seems like something Allen had wanted to do for a while in general, being a big jazz enthusiast. The period details are terrific, the music is top notch, and the performances are golden. Sean Penn is terrific as Ray, and he may have done his own playing. Knowing him, he probably did. Uma Thurman is fun as Blanche, but the real treat is Samantha Morton as Hattie. Her performance is amazing. Yeah, it kinda feels like Oscar Bait, but don't tell me that having to play a mute is easy. She excels at having to express herself using just facial expressions and body language, and I loved seeing her channel the silent film era of performance. In various smaller roles we also get some fun turns from Anthony LaPaglia, John Waters, and Brad Garrett. I really enjoyed this. Had it not petered out towards the end, I'd enjoy it even more. It's a strong film, and achieves a decent balance between comedy and drama. If you love jazz, you should definitely give this a look. Same for those of you who dig on Allen. And anyone who wants a good film about music and musicians might be pleased here as well.
  Chris W Super Reviewer
• Jun 05, 2011

  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.
  Alice S Super Reviewer

Sweet and Lowdown Quotes

News & Features