Cast: Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale
Written By: Robert Kaplow
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Release Year: 2025
Studio/Streamer: Sony Pictures Classics
Runtime: 100 minutes
*The Film Is releasing Friday With Audio description, Sadly My Advance Copy Didn’t Have AD*
What Is it?: Shortly after the Broadway premiere of the new Roger’s and Hammerstein hit Oklahoma!, former partner to Richard Roger’s (Andrew Scott), the iconic Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) ruminates on what this could mean for the future of Broadway, his career, his composing relationship with Roger’s, and his legacy of hit musicals that are slowly becoming out of fashion. Is this the end for Lorenz Hart and Richard Roger’s, or is this simply the end of the road for Lorenz Hart, who tragically passed relatively young at 48 years old.
Why It Works: Oh, what a beautiful movie. Everything is going Linklater’s way here in Blue Moon, a rather simple concoction that takes one of the great American lyricists and marries them with the right performer at the right time. While Ethan Hawke, 54, is a little bit older than Lorenz Hart was when he passed, that extra age gives Hart a more tired and aged feel as he’s supposed to be nearing the end of his run. his drinking, smoking, and general carousing about are all abut to catch up with him. He’s a gentleman and a cad, and he has thoughts and opinions on everything from what Oklahoma says about music theatre, to even his own works. Hart nods to the greats that came before him, like George M Cohen, but also seems to dance around the idea of whether Oscar Hammerstein is the heir apparent to his own legacy, or if he’s a fraud. Is it jealousy that clouds Hart’s judgment of lyrics for songs like I’m Just A girl Who can’t Say No, or is it the fear that this is out with the old and in with the new, and the new seems to be pretty good.
The movie is shot nearly entirely in a bar, and almost entirely through Lorenz HArt and his ramblings as he dances from one topic to the next. his views on his own sexuality are so broad he could be seen as dodging, but also broadening the concept of a binary sexuality to begin with. Essentially, he claims to be a lover of all, though for purposes of this movie, he seems struck by the young Elizabeth, played here with perfection by Margaret Qualley. the movie goes to great lengths to paint a picture where he seems enamored with the very fiber of her being, and she seems oblivious and totally not reciprocal. He’ll offer gifts, and she’ll discuss the men in her life who are not Lorenz HArt who have caught her eye. the few moments we get between Hart and Roger’s are also delightful, and while the newly successful Richard doesn’t want to cut ties with his old pal Larry, he can no longer work under the conditions his friend abuses every time they work together. What they end up creating is magical, but clearly the journey is not.
Blue moon is one of my favorite films this year, but I’m admittedly a theater kid, and the references throughout and the Easter eggs are wonderful. There’s a moment where Hammerstein introduces Hart to a young opinionated boy named Stephen, and while his last name isn’t dropped, we can all guess which Stephen this is, based on who will go on to shadow and work with Oscar Hammerstein.
Ethan Hawke is a revelation here, totally controlling the entire film. It is impossible to not have a strong feeling about him because he is the whole movie. We follow Hawke and his seemingly endless tirade for the majority of the film. Blue Moon is damn near a giant monologue, and if it wasn’t for the interjections from the rest of the ensemble, it would have been. Hawke plays Hart as a man who has a lot to say, and is going to say all of it, and he playfully works his way through tunes, relationships, history, and musings in such an interesting way. this must have been a blast to shoot, just to be in the presence of Hawke, who hasn’t been this good since First Reformed.
He should get an Oscar nomination for this film. he is that good, and this film is fully structured to support him. It’s one of those films that channels all of its energy into one thing, so the takeaway isn’t really how great Scott was, or Linklater’s direction, but just the ease with which Hawke makes it all look.
Why You Might Like it: It’s a very well written, well acted film, but more so if you understand the culture and lingo going in. Fans of musicals will get even more out of this stroll down memory lane.
Why You Might Not Like it- If you have either an extreme aversion to Ethan Hawke, or just a straight up phobia of him, he’s covering the entire film, and impossible to ignore. Otherwise, I can’t think of a real reason, except you might like it when things go boom. Nothing goes boom here.
Final thoughts: In what may be his curtain call, Ethan Hawke’s Lorenz Hart seems to ask to give his regards to old Broadway, as the times are changing. But, for Hawke, this is simply just a reflection of his ability to charm, hitting a career high with one of his best performances ever.
Fresh: Final Grade: 8.6/10
