Blue Moon

Ethan Hawke has emerged as one of our best American actors. His role as famed song lyricist Lorenz Hart in Richard Linklater's excellent film BLUE MOON is his best performance to date.

90% of the film takes place in famed Broadway restaurant/bar Sardi's, where caricatures of famed stage stars line the walls. Hawke's portrayal of Hart is not a caricature. He physically transforms into a much older man, always ready for a cigar, a shot of whiskey and a dose of gossip. The dirtier the story, the better.

Bartender Eddie (the great Bobby Cannavale) is trying to hold any liquor from Hart, as he's made Eddie promise not to ever serve him a drink again. This is going to be a tough night to stay sober.

Hart's Broadway songwriting partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott, reliably perfect) is about to come in after the opening night of "Oklahoma!" on stage. It's the first show that Rodgers wrote with Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) and Hart knows it's going to be Rodgers biggest success. It's opening night of a musical that would run for 2200+ performances.

Bitter? Jealous?

Hart is somewhere many Manhattan blocks ahead of those two things.

Hawke spills endless, hilarious, biting and quick witted one liners to anyone in the vicinity of his corner spot at the bar. It's also a big night for him, finally seeing his loyal pen pal again, 20 year old college student Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley from "The Substance").

Linklater's direction is flawless, pulling together one eventful evening, in one location that feels fast paced, suspenseful and funny as hell. Hawke also has moments of such deep, profound sadness and realization that you hang on every word.

I felt like I had a corner booth at Sardi's on a rainy night, circa 1943. The film oozes authenticity, but also benefits from Linklater's gift for creating deep characters out of a 90 minute conversation.

The screenplay by Robert Kaplow, based on the actual letters of Hart and Elizabeth serves up so much wit, profanity and smart debate that there are surprises around every corner.

Writer EB White (Patrick Kennedy) is sitting in another booth and joins the conversation, the proper, intelligent ying to Hart's madcap, go-for-broke yang.

Jonah Lees (Superman) also joins as a soldier on leave, providing piano accompaniment and plenty of conversation with Eddie and Hart.

I didn't know where the relationship with Elizabeth and Lorenz was heading. In Hawke and Qualley's hands, it's a fascinating portrayal of unrequited love and ambition, with unexpected heart just beneath the surface.

As you'd expect, Hart has plenty to say about Rodgers new songwriting partnership. Watching Hart hurl barbs at Rodgers and Hammerstein, with the present knowledge that the two went on to become the greatest duo in history (The Sound of Music, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song) makes you wince.

Hart is so convinced that Hammerstein is a corn pone, boonies version of his erudite sophistication that he paints himself in a very tight corner sturdily framed by his alcoholism and mental illness.

If you love movies with verbal sparring (I do), this one is heaven.

I've always been a fan of Hawke since 1989's "Dead Poets Society" and his character actor work in films like "The Magnificent Seven", but it was 2017's "First Reformed" that raised my eyebrows. He was fantastic as Rev. Toller in Paul Schraders's brilliant and challenging religious drama.

His immersion and transformation into Lorenz Hart is amazing. He feels older, shorter and embodies the wealthy 40's New Yorker with every fiber of his being. Hawke will be nominated for Best Actor for this role and I hope he wins, it's a fantastic performance.

This is the best Woody Allen film in decades, not made by Woody.

BLUE MOON is sophisticated, smart and funny as hell, while also painting one of the saddest portraits of fame and insecurity I've ever seen.

Come on, get out of the rain and grab a leather booth. Sardi's is serving up one of the best films of 2025. It gets an A+.

"No one ever loved me that much...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo7gRHip0lI