Blue Moon

Greetings again from the darkness. Most everyone, especially lovers of Broadway musicals, knows the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein. And they should. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II are regarded among the most prolific musical production writers in history. Their projects include "The King and I", "Carousel", and "The Sound of Music". Their first collaboration, "Oklahoma!" is at the center of this latest from acclaimed director Richard Linklater (his NOUVELLE VAGUE coming out this year) and writer Robert Kaplow (ME AND ORSON WELLES, 2008). Yet we can't help but wonder why so few are familiar with the work of Rodgers and Hart. Together, composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart wrote more than one thousand songs, including "My Funny Valentine", "The Lady is a Tramp", and of course, "Blue Moon."

An opening title card provides quotes made about Lorenz Hart. The first describes him as "fun", while the second states, "he was the saddest man." The contrast is startling. We first see Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart as he stumbles and collapses in a dark alley. We then flash back seven months to March 31, 1943, the opening night of "Oklahoma!" on Broadway. Hart leaves the production before it's over and heads to Sardi's, where he plants himself at the bar, conversing with Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), his favorite bartender. This kicks off one of the more dialogue-heavy movies we will likely ever see ... fitting for a man who excelled at assembling words.

It takes little time for us to recognize Hart's bitterness and envy towards his former partner's (Rodgers) success with a new collaborator (Hammerstein). He's alternatingly condescending and profane ... until Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) shows up and Hart turns on the fake charm. For a single setting film (rare in movies, not so rare in live theater), this one is surprisingly complex. Hart's sexuality is hidden much better than his alcoholism. In fact, Rodgers offers to work with him again for a revival of their "A Connecticut Yankee" - but only if Hart stops drinking and behaves professionally towards their work. These are the issues that previously divided them.

Adding yet another layer is the presence of Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley). She has charmed 'Larry', who claims to love her ... although he states, "everybody loves her." Their relationship is askew, as he adores her and likely wants more, while she wants him to introduce her to the great Richard Rodgers. Also in the mix is a terrific sequence between Hart and the "Charlotte's Web" writer E. B. White (Patrick Kennedy). Their wordplay nears competition and ends with what would be a Stuart Little idea. Periodically drawn into the evening's progression is Sardi's house pianist (Jonah Lee), who idolizes the work of Rodgers and Hart. As if all that isn't enough, we get interactions with future director George Roy Hill (David Rawle), whom Hart counsels to concentrate on friendships (i.e., Butch and Sundance), and an obnoxiously whip smart young theater protégé named Stevie (Cillian Sullivan as teenage Stephen Sondheim).

Seemingly an odd casting decision for a short, Jewish, alcoholic man who is both miserable and talented, Ethan Hawke is absolutely terrific as Lorenz Hart. Alcoholism may destroy a partnership, and true love may constantly elude him, yet Hawke allows us to see the genius within. Hart would be dead just a few months after this painful (for him) opening night of "Oklahoma!" ... leaving little doubt that his all-time favorite line was fitting: "Nobody ever loved me that much." (from CASABLANCA) Opening nationwide on October 20, 2025.

Blue Moon opens with quote from Oscar Hammerstein about Lorenz Hart: "He was alert and dynamic and fun to be around." Frustratingly, the movie then goes on to depict Hart as the kind of crashing bore you'd do almost anything to escape. For almost the entire running time Larry is engaged in a self-indulgent monologue about himself, with endless boastful references to his lyrical triumphs interspersed with his disdain for various rivals. There's nothing at all "fun" about it, unless you're inclined to revel in this kind of bitterness and self-flagellation. Ethan Hawke's performance as Hart - aided by a shaved head and greasy combover - is the kind of masturbatory turn finely calibrated to win admiring reviews and award nominations, even as it renders the character ever more insufferable, and finally loathsome. The one scene in which Hart isn't obsessed with himself has him obsessed with his beautiful 20-year-old "protege", with whom we're supposed to believe he is hopelessly in love (a notion perilously based on Hart's actual correspondence with Elizabeth Weiland). While writer Robert Kaplow and director Richard Linklater seem to have convinced themselves that this is believable, I seriously doubt any gay viewer or anyone appraised of the wisdom and self-awareness evident in Hart's lyrics will buy it for even a second. The scenes with Elizabeth, which so desperately strive to be poignant, not only ring hollow, they leave one wondering why a movie about Hart, who was unquestionably gay, needs to try so hard to convince us that he could also love a woman. I suspect I know why, but let's not go there. Suffice to say, this kind of archness is evident throughout. At one point, a young boy with Oscar Hammerstein, who the cognoscenti will guess is supposed to be Stephen Sondheim, is improbably rude about Hart's "sloppy" lyrics - an observation made decades later by Sondheim in his scholarly critiques of other lyricists. In the same scene Hart quips that "weighty affairs will just have to wait" - a quintessentially Sondheim lyric from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum. Yes, it's that kind of wank-fest. But never mind, if that's not your idea of hilarity, watching the extremes to which Linklater goes to emphasise Hart's shortness may have you in stitches. Even sitting on a high bar stool, Hawke somehow still looks like one of the seven dwarves. But it's not a complete waste of time. If nothing else, Blue Moon left me with a new appreciation of the oft-derided 1948 film about Hart, Words and Music. That movie may also have stretched credulity to the limit, but Mickey Rooney was at least vaguely likeable.

Blue Moon You saw me standin' alone Without a dream in my heart Without a love of my own

Ethan Hawke makes himself almost unrecognizable to play Lorenz Hart, the man who wrote those words.

Hart was five-feet tall, balding, a cigar always in his mouth, his back so curved his chin barely clears the bar at Sardi's where he spends most of the movie "Blue Moon" yakking away. His sad - if witty and sometimes brilliant - monologues are performed for bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), piano player Knuckles (Jonah Lees) and assorted folks who stop by the legendary Broadway celebrity hangout one fateful night in 1943.

Showcasing the alcoholism and other sorts of self-destructiveness that would kill him at age 48 seven months later, it's a daring, all-in performance by Hawke. It's already getting buzz this awards season.

Whether or not it nabs an Oscar nomination or two, it won't win many hearts in audiences looking for a fun night out at the movies.

With composer Richard Rodgers providing the melodies, Lorenz Hart penned the sophisticated lyrics of countless Great American Songbook staples. Along with the movie's title tune, there was "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered." "My Romance." "Manhattan." "My Heart Stood Still." "The Lady Is a Tramp." And on. And on ... close to a thousand songs.

For two decades Rogers and Hart were a dynamic duo on Broadway and Hollywood. Piano bar songs on the soundtrack offer nonstop tribute to their musical glories, with echoes of contemporaries like the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and even George M. Cohan.

Unfortunately, Robert Kaplow's script doesn't immortalize Lorenz Hart for all his achievements, but instead, for being the man who didn't write "Oklahoma!" Richard Linklater is once again Ethan Hawke's go-to director, confining the film's action essentially to one set, unfolding in something like real time on the night of March 31, 1943. For America, in those uncertain early years of World War II, that was the night "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway and changed everything.

Rodgers and Hart were still a team when they began adapting the play "Green Grow the Lilacs" into a musical. Unfortunately, Hart's habit of going on weeks-long benders instead of showing up for work finally pushed Rodgers to his breaking point. As luck would have it, another lyricist was available. His name was Oscar Hammerstein II.

The rest, as they say, would become history, not just on Broadway but on community theater and high school stages to this day.

Lorenz Hart was in the audience for "Oklahoma!'s" opening night. But the corn as high as an elephant's eye, not to mention the dancing cowboys and the exclamation mark at the end of the title were more than his urbane Manhattan sensibilities could take. So he retreated to Sardi's for some lubricated self-pity an hour before the creators of the show, along with adoring first nighters would arrive to await the reviews.

Those reviews proved to be raves, hardly a recipe for improving Lorenz Hart's state of mind. His conversations with Richard Rodgers (Adam Scott), basking in triumph, are heartbreaking.

Among all the self-deceptions Hart concocts to help make it through the night, is his torrid passion for Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), an aspiring stage artist and daughter of the president of the theater guild. Half his age and his devoted protege, her final admission that she doesn't have those feelings for him is just one more knife in the heart.

The fact that Hart was, in fact, gay in those closeted times certainly wouldn't do much to change those feelings on Elizabeth's part. But when he confides to Richard Rodgers that he is in love with her - "everyone is" - he speaks from the heart.

Insecurities, self-doubt and fear are as integral to the creative process as the exhilaration and joy of success. Hawke's portrayal uniquely illustrates the torture not of a has-been, but of what could have been.

Following last year's brilliant Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," "Blue Moon" is a reminder that creative genius is not something that a handful of people possess ... but something more akin to a curse that possesses them.

Lorenz Hart was a lover of love, an appreciator of beauty, a chaser of make-believe. Unfortunately, the ability to find perfect words for these wonderful emotions doesn't translate into finding them in real life.

I have a passionate interest in musical theatre history, especially the post-World War II period. If you fall into this category, I think you'll really enjoy this movie despite the fact that it's not very cinematic. If, however, you couldn't care less about this subject, you'll be wondering what the heck was that? This is the story of the final days of wunderkind lyricist Lorenz Hart, who wrote the lyrics to some of the American Song Book's greatest songs, like "My Funny Valentine," "Where or When," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "My Heart Stood Still," and of course, "Blue Moon." Hart and composer Richard Rodgers had a string of hits from the 1920s into the 1940s. Both of them were heavy drinkers, but Rodgers was able to control his better. With the passage of time, Hart, according to Rodgers, became impossible to work with, so he found a new lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein II, who had already had a long career with other composers, including Sigmund Romberg, Rudolf Friml, as well as an especially fruitful collaboration with Jerome Kern. (When Kern died, Hammerstein also needed a partner.) Hart sank further and further into alcoholism. This film takes place on the opening night of OKLAHOMA, which ushered in a new era in the American musical theatre. It was a true landmark (although some might argue successfully that SHOWBOAT really did). The party takes place at Sardi's and Hart is there early talking to the bartender and the pianist, while waiting for the curtain to come down on opening night so the party can begin. He knows it's going to be a huge hit, bigger than any success he had with Rodgers. He's understandably envious. The fist half of the film is basically a monologue with Hart (played by Ethan Hawke, who is not ideal casting) recapitulating his history and his crush on a young socialite/college student who is also the daughter of one of the leaders of the producing powerhouse, The Theatre Guild. He gets drunker and drunker as he talks. The girl is played by up-and-coming actress Margaret Qualley (THE SUBSTANCE and HONEY DON'T). Her role is very minor up until the last half hour of the film, when SHE has a long monologue. As you can probably tell, this is not very cinematic material. It's more like a play by Eugene O'Neill where nobody ever has an unexpressed thought, especially when their tongues are loosened by alcohol. Hart adores the girl, but he is basically gay. And she knows it. And that's the gist of the film. If you're already a musical theatre fan you'll like this movie, but if you're not, you'll probably be bored out of your mind.

Watched at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

A good charming and funny dialogue driven story about a self-destructive artist and character study with a wonderful performance from Ethan Hawke.

Richard Linklater is a master of dialogue driven storytelling and character study, and here, he continues to demonstrate and display his strong tactics with his direction for the atmosphere and tone. Alongside with the beautiful production designs and the setting, as usual, the dialogue is charming. The way characters interact with one another and the chemistry between the cast brings out a lot of funny moments, strong chemistry and energy. All thanks to the great performance from Hawke, Andrew Scott, Margaret Qualley and the rest of the cast.

The narrative, while admittedly it isn't the grandest story ever to be constructed, is a good observation about Lorenz Hart and his mental self-awarenwss crisis during the opening of his famous play. Understanding his emotions and the tension was pretty interesting and engaging to observe. The musicial score is good, the camera work is good, and the atmosphere is stunning. Although I do wish some of the pacing does improve especially towards the second act.

Overall, while it isn't the best work Linklater has made. Its a good hangout kind movie.