Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke have made nine movies together, which may just make them the Scorsese and De Niro of the indie film world. After nine years since their last collaboration, “Boyhood,” Linklater and Hawke’s partnership has come roaring back with “Blue Moon,” a biographical comedy-drama film directed by Richard Linklater and written by Robert Kaplow.
The film follows real-life lyricist Lorenz Hart over the course of one after-party for the 1943 Broadway premiere of “Oklahoma!,” a musical co-created by his former partner, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott).
Throughout the night, Hart reflects on his life and career through bantering with the bartender (Bobby Cannavale). He attempts to reestablish his former partnership with Rodgers and tries to win the affection of a young poet named Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley).
Linklater’s films are known for being dialogue-heavy, and “Blue Moon” is no different. It is 100 minutes of Hart attempting to impress those around him with witty remarks and lively stories. For those who prefer plot-driven movies with traditional story structures, this may not be your cup of tea. But if you’re into slow, character-driven movies where it’s not always clear what the story’s focus is, this movie will definitely be in your wheelhouse.
Kaplow’s screenplay is electrifying yet melancholic, often at the same time. This film’s dialogue is so lively and fun, but also quietly haunting. Lorenz Hart is a character with a showy, energetic exterior, which he uses to hide his inner pain from those around him and, most importantly, himself. This inner conflict that is ever-present within Hart makes him such a fascinating character to watch.
Another captivating inner conflict can be seen within the character of Richard Rodgers. Through the interactions between Rodgers and Hart, we see glimmers of his past admiration for his former partner. You can tell part of him wants to completely give Hart another chance, but memories of past turmoil between the two holds him back from being fully keen on taking that step.
How Elizabeth is written as a character deserves praise too. In a movie full of people trying to impress those around them, Elizabeth works as an interesting foil, as there is a real genuineness and naivety to her dialogue. The relationship between Hart and Elizabeth becomes increasingly compelling the longer their interactions go on and the more apparent the psychology behind why Hart is chasing her so persistently becomes.
This performance might just be the best of Hawke’s career. Hawke gives an absolutely magnetic performance full of life and enthralling bravado, while simultaneously never letting go of the character’s intense inner pain. Hawke makes a character that could easily come off as unnatural or larger than life into someone that feels entirely believable, with every striking quip and bombastic story seeming completely fluid and organic coming from Hawke’s lips.
Despite his somewhat small amount of screentime, Scott makes a big impression as Rodgers, brilliantly adding to the depth and inner conflict of the character through his performance.
Qualley gives a grounded performance that expertly clashes with the showy nature of the rest of the ensemble, brilliantly deepening the themes of the film. Cannavale is also a lot of fun to watch, as he has great chemistry with Hawke.
The weakest element of “Blue Moon” is Linklater’s uninspired and bland visual direction that does nothing to strengthen the film. However, the unmemorable direction did little to distract from the film’s watchability because of how exhilarating the dialogue and performances were.
“Blue Moon” ends on an interesting note that firmly establishes the film as a fascinating, beautiful, melancholic and superbly acted exploration of three concepts: self-worth, self-love and what makes us feel like we are “enough.” Where is it that we get our sense of worthiness from? What and who do we have to rely on to feel okay about ourselves? This film does not provide any easy answers to these questions, instead opting to leave the audience to make up their own mind based on what was depicted in the movie. Some may not vibe with the approach that “Blue Moon” takes, but it is a movie that deeply connected with me and has not left my mind since I saw it, and that is always a win in my book.
