"D'you like that? I knew you would. They say I'm a wonderful lover."

Rating: 8/10 (6 June 2014)

In the core of this movie is the fictive character of Emmet Ray who says of himself that he is the 2nd best guitarist in the world right after Django Reinhardt (who actually lived). The movie tackles some other subjects but focuses on Emmet and his problems. It works quite well because Sean Penn gives a terrific performance. The movie also portrays the 30's quite well and it got some good cinematography (like most of Woody's movies).
Woody pays homage to Bergman's The Passion of Anna with the interviews he uses to narrate some of the story and express some thoughts from another point of view. The interviews are a very minor part of the movie, but a fun (and unique) little element. The movie is also a homage to Fellini's La Strada. The 2 main characters in Sweet and Lowdown resemble the two main characters in La Strada so if you enjoyed Sweet and Lowdown you might find these two movies interesting (it probably also works the other way around).
If you haven't seen it yet here's my conclusion: It's not a masterpiece (far from), but it's a good movie that should especially be a treat for musicians, other artists and Allen or Penn fans. If you like character drama and don't mind the comedic touch this is a movie for you. If you're not that interested in character dramas you won't hate it but it's not a movie I would highly recommend to you.