Blue Moon

Blue Moon
Starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott
Directed by Richard Linklater

When you hear "they don't make movies like this anymore," Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon" would be one such film - a movie that doesn't include lavish set pieces, explosive action, twists aplenty, or exciting camera movements. What "Blue Moon" is is something magical: a one-set location movie that centers fully on conversations and character development, devoid of any of the bells and whistles that would distract people from the story being told. While that might fascinate some true cinephiles, it's not something this TikTok generation desires - quick, thirty second bits to keep them entertained. It's a dry movie, but one that highlights the exceptional acting talents of its stars, particularly Ethan Hawke, and makes you feel like you're watching a play on the big screen - which is no surprise, considering the film's theme.

Everyone knows about Rodgers and Hammerstein, but not many know about Richard Rodgers' (Andrew Scott) previous partner, Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke). Together, the two men brought some of the most well-known songs to memory including "My Funny Valentine," "The Lady is a Tramp," and "Blue Moon." Rodgers wrote the tunes while Hart made the lyrics, and now Hart is witnessing Rodgers' first work without him and his future longtime collaborator Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney): Oklahoma! Hart can't stand the production and leaves early to attend his favorite watering hole where the wrap party will take place later, and gets into a conversation with the bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) and young piano player Morty (Jonah Lees). He talks about the work he's done with Rodgers, the brilliance of Oklahoma! despite his jealousy, and pines for twenty-year-old Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), a woman he met during an unconsummated weekend. Once the guests arrive, it becomes apparent that Hart isn't as beloved as he thought, and his career (and friendships) are on the decline.

Ethan Hawke is already established as a great actor, and longtime collaborator with director Richard Linklater, showcasing his acting talent time and again in the "Before" series as well as "Boyhood" among others, but "Blue Moon" is his most challenging role yet. He can't rely on anything outside his own acting ability to pull off a believable performance, and he more than accomplishes that as Lorenz Hart. He's a fast talking, eccentric small man (under 5', which is one of the film's lone issues with trying to portray the 5'10'' Hawke as 5' takes you out of the movie) who is, by his own admission, "omnisexual" which is why he crushes hard on young Elizabeth while others think he prefers the company of men. He talks with anyone who'll listen ad nausea about anything involving his career and life, and to his credit he does listen as well - but essentially it's all about him. Hawke just received an Oscar nomination for his performance, and in any other year he could've been a shoe-in, but considering the pedigree of performances in 2025 it looks like he'll fall...short...of it. Still, he deserves recognition for the commitment and performance he gives here.

"Blue Moon" doesn't allow itself to hide behind anything you'd find in common Hollywood films. There's no quick cut-aways to different characters or events, no deviation from the fancy bar setting, no visuals outside Hart's viewpoint. We're constantly on Hart from beginning to end, as he talks to old friends and new, and we cringe in his apparent unassuming nature that others don't see him the way he sees himself, at least not anymore. Even his longtime collaborator Richard Rodgers seems to downplay him, refusing to drink with him, and while giving him praise for the work he's done with him in the past, seems obvious that he's ready to cut ties with him in favor of Hammerstein. 

Andrew Scott and Margaret Qualley give tremendous performances themselves, with Scott's Rodgers being a consummate professional but also knowing his time with Hart is ending, without knowing how to directly tell him so. Qualley plays Hart's love interest who, once you see her, seems obvious that she doesn't share his same infatuation. At first she seems like a leech, wanting Hart to introduce her to Rodgers, but in a particularly sober and emotionally devastating scene she reveals her true feelings for Hart through her own story, and you see she's just a sweet girl looking for her own shot, and doesn't want to use anyone to get her there - but she's clearly oblivious to Hart's advances. 

Although it takes place in one setting, there's several memorable moments that make "Blue Moon" unforgettable - from Hart's long soliloquy upon arriving at the bar to his interactions with Rodgers and Elizabeth, the subtly of it all will drill into your subconscious and leave you thinking about this movie long after watching it, admiring the work put into it and pining for more films that can do this sort of genre as perfectly as Linklater managed to do.

The Score: A