Richard Linklater is back together with Ethan Hawke in his newest film Blue Moon based on the life of Lorenz Hart – life may be an understatement; it focuses on one moment in his life. Made entirely for those who appreciate Linklater’s filmmaking, or for those who followed the brilliant musical pair Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers. Blue Moon can be both slow moving, but also a brilliant piece of filmmaking, all dependent on whether the topic of interest is made for you.
Linklater’s Blue Moon follows Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) as he struggles through jealousy for his former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and his new hit show “Oklahoma!” – created with Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney). The evening is March 31, 1943, and this 100-minute film takes place in real time as Hart contemplates life in Sardi’s bar. As he works through his shattered self-confidence and talks lovingly about his protégé Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley) to his trusty bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), Rodgers’ success erupts around him.
If you are a Linklater fan, if you enjoy the way he crafts his films around one single moment in time, then Blue Moon is exactly that. What might make it all the more enjoyable for a Linklater fan, is if you have prior knowledge of Hart and Rodgers. Reminiscing about the past and thinking about the present, Blue Moon is a film about friendship, art and love. By the end of the film, the audience follows along as Hart begins to understand the world forever changed by the war, and the impossibility of love.
It is a difficult thing, having a film unravel in real time, but Linklater continues to come back to this specific type of filmmaking time and time again. As Hart reminisces about the past, no flashbacks are given where they may be expected. This tactic, even though it felt slow as the audience is required to focus plainly on what they hear and less on what they see, allowed the 100-minute runtime to be eaten up. Though at times it felt like it was moving slow, Hawke’s portrayal of Hart on the brink of insanity kept our interests peaked.
It is important for a film that takes place all in one moment in time to keep the audience involved, and Linklater casting his frequent collaborator Ethan Hawke did just that. While Hawke is almost 6ft and Hart is a minor 5ft, some of the film time was spent wondering just how they managed to do it. But Hawke’s performance as the deranged lyricist captured audiences for the film’s entirety. Even Linklater’s supporting cast did each character justice. Andrew Scott brings back another American accent and excels in his role as Richard Rodgers, constantly sparring with Hart to keep him at bay. Then with Margaret Qualley as Hart’s proposed muse and protégé, Elizabeth, the audience is almost just as enthralled as Hart.
Not a win for everyone but tailored for a specific audience. Linklater’s Blue Moon does its best to keep audiences involved and interested in the perhaps upward spiral of lyricist Lorenz Hart at his breaking point. If you enjoy Linklater and his collaborations with Ethan Hawke, then Blue Moon is a film for you.
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