Bittersweet comedy that is best when sweet but is difficult when bitter

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2003)

A mockumentary charting the last few years of the career and life of jazz guitarist Emmet Ray  considered one of the finest guitarists of the time, second only to Django Reinhardt. The film charts his colourful rise from small time pimp and kleptomaniac to the recording of the work that experts claim to be some of the best of the period.
Like the title suggests, this is a split film and that is the reason I think I may have had difficulty enjoying it with quite the same light laughter that I have had with Woody Allen over the past few years. The plot is set up well with the fictional character treated for all the world as a real legend worthy of documentary treatment. The use of talking heads frames the story well and almost allows it to be more piecemeal that it would have been able to as a straight film. The `sweet' of the film (or rather `bittersweet') is the comedy of the tale  the lunacy or whimsy of the whole affair and this works well and sets the tone.
What then sours the mix a little is the `low-down'. Basically the story is around quite a selfish and unpleasant character and it is hard to get past that  especially where the comedy is so very light for stretches. It is hard not to feel that the mood of the film is changing as Ray shamelessly hurts a naïve mute girl who seems to adore him  he seems to be happy to have found someone who can only listen to him talk about himself without interrupting. There is, of course, redemption but this comes late and doesn't lift the fact that the lead is an unpleasant character, albeit one easily mocked for his own inadequacies.
To his credit Penn holds the role together and doesn't et it become so unsympathetic that the film is lost  it is only occasionally when the actions of his character overwhelm his portrayal of the character. Support is generally good, Morton is touchingly sweet despite the lack of dialogue, LaPaglia is a good a mobster as you'd expect, Thuman is a good part and there are some well known `Allen' faces in small parts. The talking heads are good and not overly used for comic interludes  they play it straight and let the story make the funnies. Allen brings his passion to jazz into his bits and it's difficult to see that he has his tongue in his cheek.
Overall I must admit that I didn't connect with this film as well as other Allen fans seem to have, mostly because the bittersweet mix was enjoyable when leaning towards the sweet but it was less so when the bitter side (understandably) was brought out.