Low Down

Last updated
Low Down
Low Down poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jeff Preiss
Written byTopper Lilien
Amy-Jo Albany
Produced by Albert Berger
Starring John Hawkes
Elle Fanning
Lena Headey
Glenn Close
Flea
Taryn Manning
Peter Dinklage
Tim Daly
Cinematography Christopher Blauvelt
Edited byMichael Saia
Music by Ohad Talmor
Production
company
Bona Fide Productions
Distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Release dates
  • January 19, 2014 (2014-01-19)(Sundance)
  • October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$54,051 [1]

Low Down is a 2014 American biopic directed by Jeff Preiss and based on the memoirs written by Amy-Jo Albany (portrayed by Elle Fanning) about her father, famed jazz pianist Joe Albany (portrayed by John Hawkes), and his struggles with drug addiction. [2]

Contents

The film was executive produced by Anthony Kiedis and Flea (who also co-stars in the film) of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The film premiered in competition at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014. [3] It won the "Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic" at the festival. [4]

Plot summary

Joe Albany was an accomplished jazz pianist during the 1960s through the 1980s, performing with the likes of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus before his descent into heroin addiction. The film tells the story of Albany's life from the perspective of his daughter, Amy-Jo Albany, a frequent witness to his drug use (and related legal trouble) as well as his passion for music. [5]

Cast

Production

Actor Mark Ruffalo was originally cast as Joe Albany in 2011 but was forced to back out due to scheduling issues and production being delayed. [6]

Release

The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014, winning an award for Best Cinematography. [7] It also won Best Film at the New Hampshire Film Festival in 2014. [8] The first official trailer was released on September 18, 2014. [9] The film opened to a limited release on October 24, 2014 in New York City and October 31, 2014 in Los Angeles. [10]

Reception

Low Down was met with mixed reviews. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes sampled 50 critics' reviews, 25 positive and 25 negative, bringing the score to 50%, averaging 5.7/10. The film's consensus reads: "Rich in mood and on-screen talent but lacking in narrative depth, Low Down tells an oft-told tale with a troubling dearth of imagination." [11] Metacritic, another review aggregator, gives the film 58 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics (six of them positive, thirteen mixed, and two negative), with its general agreement being "mixed or average reviews". [12]

Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for RogerEbert.com, gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "a very good jazz movie and a very good heroin movie," [13] while Rex Reed described Elle Fanning's performance as "heartbreaking". [14] George Varga of the San Diego Union-Tribune deemed Low Down "a grimly gripping movie" [15] but was less effusive than Seitz, giving it two-and-a-half stars.

David Edelstein, in Vulture , praised the performances by Hawkes, Fanning, and much of the supporting cast, but felt that the film was "not as entertaining as" the book on which it was based: "The weakness of Low Down is that it misses the wry tone and scruffy, eccentrically funny parts of [Amy-Jo] Albany’s memoir." [16]

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References

  1. ↑ "Low Down (2014)". Box Office Mojo .
  2. ↑ O'Falt, Chris (January 16, 2014). "Sundance Preview: John Hawkes Stars as a Heroin-Addicted Jazz Pianist in 'Low Down'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ↑ "Sundance 2014: U.S. Dramatic Competition". IndieWire . January 10, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ Smith, Nigel M. (January 25, 2014). "'Whiplash' Owns the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Awards Netting Two Top Prizes". IndieWire . Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Sundance 2014: Elle Fanning, Glenn Close on 'Low Down'". Entertainment Weekly. January 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (November 12, 2012). "John Hawkes to Star in Joe Albany Biopic LOW DOWN". Collider.
  7. ↑ "2014 Sundance Film Festival Announces Feature Film Awards". sundance.org . January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  8. ↑ Cipriani, Casey (October 20, 2014). "'Low Down' and 'E-TEAM' Take Home Top Prizes from New Hampshire Film Festival". IndieWire. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ "'Low Down' Trailer". Yahoo!. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ Espina, Alfonso (September 19, 2014). "Watch: Elle Fanning Explores 1970s Jazz Scene With Joe Albany in 'Low Down' Trailer". upandcomers.net. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Low Down (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Low Down". Metacritic. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  13. ↑ Zoller Seitz, Matt (October 24, 2014). "Low Down (2014)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  14. ↑ Reed, Rex (October 22, 2014). "Portrait of an Artist: John Hawkes Plays a Tragic Jazz Pianist in 'Low Down'". Observer. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  15. ↑ Varga, George (November 7, 2014). "'Low Down' a grimly gripping movie". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  16. ↑ Edelstein, David (October 24, 2014). "John Hawkes Is Quietly Marvelous in Low Down". Vulture . Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
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