LOS ANGELES — Director Richard Linklater, known for his prolific and acclaimed filmmaking career, returns with Blue Moon, a tender, witty, and bittersweet portrait of lyricist Lorenz Hart, one-half of the famed Rodgers and Hart songwriting duo. The film, led by Ethan Hawke in a career-defining performance, has been hailed as one of the year’s most heartfelt and engaging works.
Set in New York’s Sardi’s restaurant on March 31, 1943, Blue Moon captures a single evening in Hart’s life as he faces professional heartbreak and personal decline. That same night, “Oklahoma!” the first collaboration between Hart’s longtime partner Richard Rodgers and his new collaborator Oscar Hammerstein II, debuts just down the street. Within six months, Hart would die of pneumonia at the age of 48.
In the film, Hawke’s Hart holds court at the bar, reminiscing about his career, his lyrics, and the changing Broadway landscape. His charm and melancholy intertwine as he speaks to bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) and a small group of admirers, including writer E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy). Reflecting on his legacy, Hart declares, “I’ve written a handful of words that are going to cheat death.”
The film pays tribute to Hart’s enduring contributions to the American Songbook including “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” and “Blue Moon.” Through his musings, Hart’s humor, intellect, and longing are revealed, alongside his struggles with alcoholism and loneliness.
Hawke’s transformation is striking and deeply human. His portrayal of Hart, described by critics as “extraordinarily good company,” captures both the lyricist’s brilliance and fragility. Margaret Qualley appears as Elizabeth Weiland, a young Yale student who becomes the object of Hart’s admiration, while Andrew Scott portrays composer Richard Rodgers.
Written by Robert Kaplow, who also penned Me and Orson Welles (another Linklater adaptation), Blue Moon draws inspiration from real-life letters between Hart and Weiland. The film unfolds as a poignant eulogy for a man whose lyrical genius was at odds with a Broadway that was shifting toward the wholesome optimism of Oklahoma!
“Oklahoma!,” Hart laments, “is going to be performed from that moment until Doomsday.” His bitterness reflects more than rivalry; it marks the end of an era where his brand of wistful, complex songwriting could flourish.
Critics have praised Blue Moon as one of Linklater’s most emotionally resonant works. In contrast to his upcoming ensemble feature Nouvelle Vague, which focuses on the birth of the French New Wave, Blue Moon is a quieter, character-driven film, intimate in scope but universal in its themes of loss, art, and legacy.
A Sony Pictures Classics release, Blue Moon is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language and sexual references, with a running time of 100 minutes. It received three and a half out of four stars, with particular acclaim for its screenplay, direction, and Hawke’s mesmerizing performance.
