Sweet and Lowdown

Sweet and Lowdown is a 1999 American comedydrama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film tells the story, set in the 1930s, of a fictional jazz guitarist named Emmet Ray played by Sean Penn who regards himself as the second greatest guitarist in the world after jazz icon Django Reinhardt who falls in love with a mute woman Samantha Morton. The film also stars Uma Thurman and Anthony LaPaglia.

Emmet Ray Sean Penn is a jazz guitarist who achieved some acclaim in the 1930s with a handful of recordings for RCA Victor, but who faded from public view under mysterious circumstances. Though a talented musician, Rays personal life is a shambles. He is a spendthrift, womanizer and pimp who believes that falling in love will ruin his musical career. Due to his heavy drinking, hes often late or even absent for performances with his quintet. After music, his favorite hobby is shooting rats at garbage dumps. Ray idolizes famed guitarist Django Reinhardt, and is said to have fainted in his presence and to have fled a nightclub performance with severe stage fright upon hearing a false rumor that Reinhardt was in the audience.On a double date with his drummer, Ray meets Hattie, a shy, mute laundress. After overcoming some initial frustration due to the difficulties of communication, Ray and Hattie form an affectionate and close relationship. She accompanies him on a crosscountry trip to Hollywood, where he plays in a short film Hattie is spotted by a director and enjoys a brief screen career. However Ray is convinced that a musician of his stature should never settle down with one woman. On a whim, Ray marries socialite Blanche Williams Uma Thurman. However, Blanche sees Ray mainly as a colorful example of lowerclass life and a source of inspiration for her literary writings. She reports that Ray is tormented by nightmares and shouts out Hatties name in his sleep. ........

Source: Wikipedia