Word: emmet
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...directors latest, the fanciful Sweet and Lowdown, is in most respects a minor work of art, though it is pleasant and interesting. But enthusiasts should note that it represents something of a breakthrough for Allen, in that the main character, fictional 30s jazz guitarist Emmet Ray (Sean Penn), is a brooding, inarticulate, freewheeling figure motivated by moody emotions. Sure, hes neurotic as hell, but not in the style of nebbishy self-analysis that has informed so many Allen protagonists. Emmets comic/pathetic exploits are governed by the cadences of jazz, which has always been a background presence in Allens movies...
...Emmet Ray (Sean Penn) is the premier American jazz guitarist. His fingers sculpt gorgeous sounds from the six strings; I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles was never so poignant or supple as in his hands. But Emmet is also a pimp, petty thief, paranoid...if there's a bad word that starts with p, he's likely to be it. Driven by ego, dogged by insecurity, he rationalizes his outrages as the spillage of an overflowing talent...
Penn does bold justice to this lowdown giant. But Samantha Morton, as Emmet's "mute orphan half-wit" of a girlfriend, is the sweet revelation. Rarely has a performer mined such complex and potent emotion from such simple materials: a smile, a shrug, an attentive winsomeness. She hardly nods or shakes her head in response to a question, yet always conveys the meaning and feeling. In an age of actors' tics and rantings, such austere clarity is worth cherishing. The interpretive magic that Emmet Ray achieves with six strings, Morton conjures with none...
...think they are terrific the way they are. They exhibit the unfinished quality of the building which is actually an aspect of modern architecture," said Neil Levine, Emmet Blakeney Gleason Professor of Fine Arts...
...that is Emmet "Tripp" Tracy, the junior Harvard goaltender who always seems to come up with superhuman performances in televised games...