Blue Moon

October 17, 202570/1006 min
Starring
Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott
Written by
Robert Kaplow
Directred by
Richard Linklater
Release Date
October 24th, 2025
Run Time
1h 40 min
Overall Score
Rating Summary

From 1920 through 1943, you couldn’t turn on a radio or watch a Broadway show without hearing the names Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Their songs—Manhattan, My Funny Valentine, and their biggest hit, Blue Moon—became standards, many of which we still know today. As successful as they were, Rodgers would eventually team up with someone else, a man named Oscar Hammerstein II, and together they would become the most legendary musical duo in Broadway history.
But this story isn’t about them. It’s about Hart, and how his story ended.

In a dim hotel bar, a man walks in—a man everyone knows. That man is Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke). As he approaches the bar, a pianist plays softly in the near-empty room. The emptiness won’t last long; soon, this will be the site of the after-party for Oklahoma!, which has just completed one of its first showings. Hart is there to support his old partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), but until Rodgers arrives, he sits at the bar trading banter with Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), the bartender.

Their conversation drifts from Casablanca—and the greatest movie line of all time—to a woman named Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), a young woman Hart happens to love. Though she’s nearly half his age, Hart seems painfully aware that his affection will always remain unreturned. But the night isn’t only about her—it’s also Hart’s chance to talk with Rodgers about collaborating again. Rodgers already has an idea in mind: updating A Connecticut Yankee for modern audiences. Tonight becomes not just a reflection of Hart’s past, but a glimpse of what he could still do—if only he didn’t get in the way of his own future.

Written by Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon initially seems like a simple character study but gradually reveals the many layers of Hart—his brilliance, his insecurities, and his contradictions. Kaplow’s screenplay is clever, filled with quotable lines and sharp insights, all signs of a film you’ll want to revisit just for the dialogue. At its heart, though, Blue Moon explores the inner conflict of the artist: the eternal tug-of-war between self-doubt and the pursuit of excellence.

Blue Moon feels almost meditative—deeply human and hauntingly personal—as it dives into its subject with wit, sorrow, and, of course, beautiful music. This is the story of a man nearing the end of his life, cornered by fading fame and alcohol addiction. Hart is portrayed brilliantly by Ethan Hawke, who delivers one of his finest performances. He feels unrestrained here—embodying Hart as a tortured, self-aware artist, desperate to be understood and remembered.

Though the cast includes strong performances from Andrew Scott, Bobby Cannavale, and Margaret Qualley, Blue Moon often feels like a one-man show. Hawke commands the screen, and while the film demands close attention, the reward is rich—pointed dialogue and poignant reflections on the nature of art and the cost of success.

This film may not be for everyone, but for lovers of cinema and admirers of Broadway’s golden era, Blue Moon is a must-watch. And with Richard Linklater behind the camera, there’s truly no reason to miss it—because Blue Moon isn’t just a film; it’s pure cinema.

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