A big return to form for Woody Allen

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2014)

Celebrity to me wasn't a terrible film but it was disappointing and I consider it one of Woody Allen's weakest. Sweet and Lowdown however was a big return to form, let down only by the odd bit of lagging pacing, and is not just one of Allen's better films since Husbands and Wives but also in the better half of his filmography. Allen's films- apart from some of his very early stuff- are always very well made, but the handsome production design and colourful cinematography make Sweet and Lowdown a gorgeous-looking film, and Allen's directing also is nigh-on perfect. The haunting and mellow soundtrack is one of my personal favourites actually from his films and CD-release-worthy. Sweet and Lowdown also has a great and beautifully balanced script, some of it is charmingly witty in typical Allen style, but it also has a lot to say and does so in a way that intrigues and doesn't come across as self-indulgent and the dramatic scenes are among the, in my opinion, most poignant and sensitively done of any Woody Allen film since Husbands and Wives. Allen's mock-documentary contributions are fascinating and you learn a good deal about the music, artistry and Emmet Ray(which Allen delivers in a way that strongly suggests how he connected with the subject matter and what was being said), and the story itself has the ideal balance of comedy and drama, reflected in Samantha Morton's character Hattie, and has an immense charm to it. The characters, although a few of them are on the thankless side(ie. Ellie), are not likable- Hattie is an exception though, because she's the character that you relate to the most by quite some distance- but are written with realism, the relationships between them are identifiable and acted with every bit as much. Sean Penn gives a bravura performance and really embodies Emmet Ray, although Ray is as purposefully dislikeable as you can possibly get there's genuine sympathy to be had from him in his final scenes. Samantha Morton is even better and I'd go as far to say that she steals the show, she's really heart-breaking, has eyes and facial expressions that are really expressive and even when silent her eyes and face tell volumes. Uma Thurman is not used very much but she has a quite colourful character and she relishes it without being at odds with the rest of the film. All in all, after being disappointed by Celebrity, Sweet and Lowdown was a big improvement and is a wonderful film. 9/10 Bethany Cox