MOVIE · 2000

Sweet and Lowdown

ComedyDrama95 min

In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray is a gifted, vain musician who measures himself against Django Reinhardt while drifting through clubs, gangsters, and an unexpected romance. Sean Penn is Emmet, full of swagger and self-mythology, opposite Samantha Morton's Hattie, a mute laundress who becomes central to his life. The story is framed as a mock biography, cutting away to interview-style commentary from critics and historians who discuss Emmet as if he were a lost figure from jazz history. That structure gives the film a period-showbiz feel, balancing Emmet's talent with his vanity, restlessness, and knack for trouble.