Low Down

Low Down
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jeff Preiss
Produced by	Albert Berger
Written by	Topper Lilien Amy-Jo Albany
Starring	John Hawkes Elle Fanning Lena Headey Glenn Close Flea Taryn Manning Peter Dinklage Tim Daly
Music by	Ohad Talmor
Cinematography	Christopher Blauvelt
Edited by	Michael Saia
Production company	Bona Fide Productions
Distributed by	Oscilloscope Laboratories
Release dates	January 19, 2014 (2014-01-19) (Sundance) October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24) (New York) October 31, 2014 (2014-10-31) (Los Angeles)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$54,051

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.

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. It won the Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic at the festival.

Plot summary

Joe Albany was a well accomplished jazz pianist during the 1960s and 1970s, 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 then 11-year-old daughter Amy Albany through her own personal memoirs, as she watches him contend with his drug addiction during the 1960s and '70s jazz scene.

Cast

• John Hawkes as Joe Albany
• Elle Fanning as Amy-Jo Albany
• Lena Headey as Sheila Albany
• Glenn Close as Gram
• Flea as Hobbs
• Taryn Manning as Colleen
• Peter Dinklage as Alain
• Billy Drago as Lew
• Burn Gorman as Wiggenhern
• Tim Daly as Dalton
• Linda Wang as Chinese woman
• Myles Cranford as Jimmy

Production

Actor Mark Ruffalo was originally cast in 2011 to star as Joe Albany however was forced to back out due to scheduling issues and production being delayed.

Release

The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014. The first official trailer was released on September 18, 2014. The film opened to a limited release on October 24, 2014 in New York and October 31, 2014 in Los Angeles.

Reception

Low Down was met with mixed reviews. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes sampled 46 film critics' reviews, 24 which are positive and 22 negative, bringing the score to 52%, 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." Metacritic, another review aggregator gives the film a score 58 out of 100 from reviews from 21 critics, six of them positive, 13 mixed and two negative, with its general agreement being "mixed or average reviews".

External links

• Official website
• Low Down at IMDb