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Jean Doumanian Productions
Not part of a collection.
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
CinemaSerf
May 8, 2024 · via TMDB
Presented in a documentary style, this drama looks at the life of the fictional jazz guitarist "Emmet Ray" (Sean Penn). Now, of course, he is American so is naturally the best in the whole wide world, well second best actually, and that is testified to by frequent obsequious pieces-to-camera from purported experts and then by his own performances as he plays standards from the likes of Django Reinhardt, the masterful Stéphane Grapelli and Duke Ellington. Director Woody Allen has a penchant for this style of music, and as faux-homages go this isn't at all bad. That's really thanks to a strong contribution from Sean Penn as the frankly pretty odious character who's selfishness was probably only eclipsed by his increasing obsession with the shy mute "Hattie" (a gorgeous effort from Samantha Morton) who comes to depend on him, but might he actually come to depend on her too - despite himself? It's a great looking film with plenty of attention to detail, and it does work well at illustrating just how important it is for people to have decent anchors in their lives. The dialogue is all a bit too relentless for me with very little time to come up for air as this rattles along but it's all genuinely and uncomfortably plausible at times, too. Pity about the constant hyperbole, though - how can anyone be the best guitarist? Hmmm?
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Sean Penn
Emmet Ray
Samantha Morton
Hattie
Anthony LaPaglia
Al Torrio
Uma Thurman
Blanche Williams
James Urbaniak
Harry
John Waters
Mr. Haynes
Gretchen Mol
Ellie
Denis O'Hare
Jake
Molly Price
Ann
Brian Markinson
Bill Shields
Tony Darrow
Ben
Daniel Okrent
A.J. Pickman
Brad Garrett
Joe Bedloe
Kaili Vernoff
Gracie
Woody Allen
Himself
Ben Duncan (DJ)
Himself
Nat Hentoff
Himself
Douglas McGrath
Himself
Dan Moran
Boss
Chris Bauer
Ace
Darryl Alan Reed
Don
Constance Shulman
Hazel
Kellie Overbey
Iris
Katie Hamill
Mary
Lola Pashalinski
Blanche's Friend
Marc Damon Johnson
Omer
Ron Cephas Jones
Alvin
Vince Giordano
Bass Player #1
Clark Gayton
Jam Session Musician
Carolyn Saxon
Phyliss
Joseph Rigano
Stagehand
Yvette Mercedes
Party Guest
Dick Monday
Chester Weems
Mary Stout
Felicity Thomson
Mr. Spoons
Spoon Player
Carol Woods
Helen Minton
Josh Mowery
Movie Director
Eddy Davis
Bass Player #2
Vincent Guastaferro
Sid Bishop
Jerome Richardson
Club Musician
James Williams
Club Musician
Frank Wess
Club Musician
Ray Garvey
Club Manager
Brooks Giles III
Jam Session Musician
Alfred Sauchelli, Jr.
Ned
Michael Peter Bolus
Lynch
Mick O'Rourke
Holdup Man
Chuck Lewkowicz
Police Officer
Rick Mowat
Flat Tire Man
Santo Loquasto
Production Design
Stephen G. Bishop
Hairstylist
Peter Bucossi
Stunt Coordinator
Woody Allen
Director
Alisa Lepselter
Editor
Juliet Taylor
Casting
Patricia Kerrigan DiCerto
Casting Associate
Charles H. Joffe
Co-Executive Producer
Jack Rollins
Co-Executive Producer
Letty Aronson
Co-Executive Producer
J.E. Beaucaire
Executive Producer
Dick Hyman
Music
Lee Dichter
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Woody Allen
Screenplay
The Godfather Part II
GoodFellas
Once Upon a Time in America
Back to the Future
Jazz: The Only Way of Life
Léon: The Professional
The Apartment
Taxi Driver
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Raging Bull
Dog Day Afternoon
Rosemary's Baby
Anatomy of a Murder
Back to the Future Part II
The King of Comedy
Rain Man
The Color Purple
Annie Hall
Alice in the Cities
The Hustler
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Sweet Smell of Success
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
American Gangster
Happy Together
Synecdoche, New York
Night on Earth
Walk the Line
The Nat King Cole Musical Story
The Devil Wears Prada
Inside Man
Bob Dylan – Don't Look Back
The Godfather Part III
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob
American Psycho
Jacob's Ladder
25th Hour
Pocketful of Miracles
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Lisbon Story
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Daybreak Express
The Proposal
8 Seconds
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Glenn Miller Story
Big Night
Stephane Grappelli - In New Orleans 1989
The Docks of New York
Laws of Gravity
The Wanderers
King Kong
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
Cop Land
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
The Italian
Frankie and Johnny
Paris Je T'aime
An American Tail
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Unfaithful
Before Night Falls
Going My Way
The Lovers
Working Girl
Edge of Seventeen
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Pieces of April
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
Focus
Brooklyn
The Cotton Club
Fame
The World, the Flesh and the Devil
Local Color
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Changing Lanes
Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Shortbus
Splash
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
TMNT
Thumbsucker
Land of Plenty
Addicted to Love
Guitar Men: The Darkest Secret of Rock 'n Roll
Madigan
The Jazz Singer
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Where the Day Takes You
Lullaby
Fighting
The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human
Disco Fever
Prime
3 Needles
Mr. Deeds
Party Monster
The Fluffer
Assassination of a High School President
Alone With Her
Sliver
Dark Matter
Hotel Very Welcome
Berkeley
What if it Works?
Poster Boy
Mad Dog Coll
Whirlygirl
City Rats
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Man with the Screaming Brain
The Girlfriend Experience
Moving McAllister
Undiscovered
Swindle
Sweet Track
True True Lie
Brutal Massacre: A Comedy
The Deviants
Loitering with Intent
Knitwits
Neon Rage
The Bracket Theory
Paraagan
Kirk Whalum: The Gospel According to Jazz Chapter III
Avishai Cohen Trio Leverkusener Jazztage 2024
“THRIFTERS”
King of Games
Whiplash
Clika
Clouds
Bo Burnham: What.
tick, tick... BOOM!
Come from Away
After Hours
My Dinner with Andre
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Elvis
School Dance
Hair
Short Cuts
The Commitments
Moxie
Inside Llewyn Davis
'Round Midnight
Cadillac Records
TÁR
SLC Punk
A Complete Unknown
Benny & Joon
Power Ballad
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Help!
Hearts Beat Loud
Carrie Pilby
Jersey Boys
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
Wild Rose
Danny Collins
All Eyez on Me
A Late Quartet
One Chance
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Blue Moon
My Favorite Year
God Help the Girl
Mo' Better Blues
Born to Be Blue
King Creole
For the Boys
The Late Shift
CBGB
Honey 2
Krush Groove
Beyond the Sea
Soul Men
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Teen Spirit
I'm Still Here
Grace of My Heart
Coda
Celebrity
10,000 Saints
Class
Back to the Beach
54
Sep 4, 1999
Telluride Film Festival
Dec 3, 1999
Jun 20, 2000
DVD
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Power Moves
1995
Deconstructivist Architects
1990
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
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1981 · 11 wins
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