Blue Moon, 2025.
Directed by Richard Linklater.
Starring Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, Bobby Cannavale, and Margaret Qualley.
SYNOPSIS:
Tells the story of Lorenz Hart’s struggles with alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face during the opening of “Oklahoma!”.
Rodgers and Hart were one of the principal songwriting partnerships of the Great American Songbook for over 20 years. Together they composed hits like ‘The Lady Is a Tramp’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘Blue Moon’. Their songs remain staples to this day but perhaps their story isn’t quite as well known as it should be. Richard Linklater now focuses on the latter part of Lorenz Hart’s life, following him over the course of an evening. The evening in question just happens to be the opening of Oklahoma!, the first of what was to become a legendary partnership between Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, a rival songwriter.
Long-time Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke is, at times, unrecognisable as the 5ft Larry. We find him regaling all comers at a bar in Manhattan, where there will later be a party to celebrate the success of the show’s opening night. The opening twenty minutes is full of lively, humorous dialogue from Hart as he recalls the decline of his partnership with Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and his unrequited love for Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley).
So much of the film follows Larry drinking and chatting with barman Eddie, but rather than becoming stale, there is so much energy and sadness in their interactions. This is a man at the top of his profession, however, one who has never achieved the happiness his songs have brought to others. Hawke walks a delicate line between hilarious and heartbreaking, often in the same scene.
Andrew Scott won the Best Supporting award at Berlin, and while his role is much smaller than Hawke’s, their scenes together are dynamite, and Rodgers lurks in the background like a spectral presence. He wishes to have a more stable working relationship, now that he has a family, previously distracted by the chaos that follows Larry like a dog off its leash. The pair are magnetic together, the audience fully able to buy into their years-long working relationship, now deeply strained by Hart’s excessive drinking and other vices.
Largely confining the story to one location gives it a play like structure that will work better for some than others, but it suits the subject matter and feels like it could have been lifted from a mid-century stage production at times. The majority of the music is drawn from the Rodgers and Hart songbook, light piano serenading the bar and its lost souls.
Blue Moon once again proves how natural a fit Linklater and Ethan Hawke are together; vastly different to say their work on the Before Trilogy or Boyhood, but nonetheless impressive. It is a towering performance from Hawke and one that could well find itself at the forefront of the awards conversation. Even those less familiar with 1940s Musical Theatre will find themselves enchanted by Linklater’s human, sad take on the last days of Lorenz Hart. It is one of his very best films and one that more than does its subject matter justice.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
