Please don't spend money on this.

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Amy-Jo (Elle Fanning) loves her jazz pianist father Joe Albany (John Hawkes). He's on parole and a recovering addict. Her addict mother Sheila (Lena Headey) returns causing havoc. When her father gets arrested, she goes to stay with Gram (Glenn Close). After her father returns home, she befriends neighbor Alain (Peter Dinklage). Single mom neighbor Colleen (Taryn Manning) dies. Two years later, her father has a new drummer friend Cole (Caleb Landry Jones). Hobbs (Flea) is another friend.The movie moves slowly and flat for the first three quarters. Hawkes is a good addict. The cast is stock full of great actors. I think Elle Fanning doesn't have enough to do for most of the movie. She has some narration but her character lacks real depth. She doesn't have any friends of her own age. She makes a friend with Alain but he's quickly gone. She can't hold the center of the movie and it suffers from the collapse. The last 30 minutes has some interesting moves for Amy-Jo but it's a little too late.

So authentically crafted that my mind, in the beginning, couldn't wrap it's self around how Elle could look the same in the '70s & '80s - did she know something about time travel (Predestination devotee?). A true, to some extent, story with great acting, sets, props, writing and authentic jazz of that period. Good see an actor actually playing the musical instrument central to the movie's theme. An accurate telling of the impact of drugs, poverty and questionable parenting.Two hidden surprises were Peter's "Game of Thrones" bow and a movie theater marquee of the controversial and perhaps revolutionary "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song".

Jazz is one of my favorite types of music, and it's the primary reason I was interested in this film. What I wasn't expecting was a rather sobering portrayal of addiction and dependency. LOW DOWN tells the story (or at least a part of it) of jazz pianist Joe Albany (John Hawkes) and his daughter, Amy Jo (Elle Fanning). Joe is in and out of prison for drugs but is still trying to clean himself up. It doesn't really help that the people he hangs around are junkies like him, so he eventually skips probation and goes to Europe. He comes back a couple of years later, but it seems like little has changed. If there's one thing that was frustrating about the film, it was that the characters in it keep on making the same mistakes over and over again. However, the central relationship between Joe and and his daughter kept things afloat for the most part. He truly cares for her and does his best to shield her from the seedy side of the life that he lives, even though she does find out on her own. One breath of fresh air was Glenn Close as Joe's mother. She had a no-nonsense attitude that grounded the film and kept it from descending too low into self-pity and misery. That's not to say that John Hawke's wasn't great, which he is, but his character is so unlikeable at times that it was nice to have some common sense and dramatic counterpoint. Elle Fanning is serviceable as Albany's waifish, slight and asthma-stricken daughter. This is certainly the best role I've seen her in, and she seems to feel at home playing these weakish characters. The only thing I don't think she did convincingly was break down into histrionics when her seizure-prone boyfriend (Caleb Landry Jones) is mistakenly arrested by the police. In terms of characters, many of them in this film are afflicted in some way. Joe Albany (and many of his friends) have heroin, his daughter has asthma, her boyfriend has seizures, etc. We see people when they are at their lowest, but yet the film never judges them. There is only the hope that they will one day rise up again. I will say that this isn't the easiest film to watch, in terms of the characters or the laxly paced story. Some might find it too slow or boring, but this is a character-driven biopic. At times I began to wonder when and how it might end, but when the end did come I was fairly satisfied. I should also mention that this film has an excellent soundtrack and score, and includes some scenes of John Hawkes (apparently) playing the piano. If that wasn't actually him then they did a great job of disguising it. Overall, LOW DOWN presents a tender and sometimes moving look into the life of a musician. Just be aware that this isn't your standard biopic.

........ when you really feel bad watching it and leaves you wondering how people can live this sort of life.'Low Down' is so well written and preformed you actually feel you are there with the story before you. This is a very sad and upsetting story of people at the bottom of their lives and how a young girl navigates herself through so much negative influence around her. The story only covers maybe two years of jazz pianist Joe Albany's daughter in her early teens and learning the most harsh facts about her parents. Glenn Close is grand as the grandmother who seems to be the only stabilizing factor in the daughters life.There are other reviews here that speak far clearer about this movie! The movie is wonderfully made! Even Peter Dinklage has a short role! But please be ready to experience a very sad and dark story.