I wanted to see Blue Moon because of Ethan Hawke. He’s an excellent actor and I was intrigued by the story of Lorenz Hart, in particular because I love music and musical theater. I loved the unforgettable performance that Ethan Hawke brings to this film. I also found the story of Lorenz Hart revealing in its honest characterization of him as a song-writer and as a person. 

Blue Moon is a biographical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater and written by Robert Kaplow. The film follows songwriter Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) as he reflects on himself on the opening night of Oklahoma!, a new musical by his former colleague Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney). The film delves into Lorenz’ emotions over the success of the musical as he also raves over his protégé Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley) all while trying not to get drunk and bending the ear of the barman Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) with his complaints over the music of Oklahoma!. 

The film and directing puts Ethan Hawke’s skills as a talker to excellent use. As the movie mostly takes place at the bar for the restaurant Sardi’s, most of the focus is on only a few individuals. Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart is the focus for the majority of the film as the story delves into the semi-closeted Lorenz’ depression and alcoholism. And while the narrative could have taken the easy way out and focused solely on Hart’s talents as a songwriter, the film delves into the whole individual and the reasons for his career toppling. Hart was a brilliant writer but his emotions and his alcoholism caused him to alienate his colleagues and never is that clearer than in this film. The movie beautifully highlights his talent, his musical genius but also all the flaws of the man, as he flounders through watching the success of Rodgers new musical. 

The film is a love letter to musical theater and to Lorenz Hart. It also references many individuals that the typical moviegoer might not recognize, such as E.B.White known for Little Stuart and Charlotte’s Web. His inclusion was not without purpose as he wrote critically about Hart and Rodgers before going on to write children’s books. And his insight as a character during the film was informative and intriguing. We also see a brief reference to Stephen Sondheim. The interaction between Rodgers and Hart brilliantly demonstrates the friendship between the pair but also the reasons for the partnership ending. Rodgers was very focused and organized. While Hart was a brilliant artist and their partnership was lucrative, Hart’s demons dragged him down. The film demonstrates that brilliance but also the emotional destructiveness of Hart.

Ethan Hawke gives an unforgettable performance as Hart, embodying his very spirit. There is never a moment you can take your eyes off of him as he drives the story of Hart. Andrew Scott is perfect as Rodgers and Margaret Qualley is effervescent as Elizabeth Weiland. Bobby Cannavale is funny and smart as Eddie. But no doubt, this is Ethan Hawke’s pièce de résistance, his best performance to date. He demonstrates his ability to charm and yet give the audience subtle emotions, pain with just a glance. His ability to portray Lorenz Hart as a person, not just an artist, gives us a beautiful insight into a haunted and brilliant artist who wrote some of the most unforgettable music of his time.

My issues with the film are few. One of them is Ethan Hawke’s height. During the film, the design team does an excellent job of making Hawke seem Hart’s height, perhaps 5’2 but the problem is that it is noticeable at times that he is not always on screen at the same time as the other performers. This made me drop out of the moment more than once. And none of this was due to the performance but all due to the technological tricks. However, I still loved the humor, the wit and the emotion of the movie. I also loved getting insight into an incredible songwriter like Lorenz Hart. 

If you love musical theater, or you are a serious fan of Ethan Hawke, I truly recommend this film. If you don’t know the music of the period or are not familiar with Lorenz Hart, you might be more puzzled. I am not certain a wider audience will grasp the significance of the movie. That said, this film is an unforgettable performance by Ethan Hawke. He takes on the very spirit of Lorenz Hart and is just breathtakingly excellent. The music played during the film highlights the skill of Hart and the other performers are quite good, especially Andrew Scott. If you want to know more about musical theater, Lorenz Hart and just watch an amazing film, I strongly suggest checking this beautiful film out.

Rating: 4.5 drinks out of 5. 

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