Joey Magidson
Watching an actor go to town on a role is an exciting thing to witness. The joy and passion for the craft is just wafting off of them, intoxicating the audience. With Blue Moon, we have Ethan Hawke giving a tour de force performance for his frequent maestro Richard Linklater. Not only is it quite possibly Hawke’s best work to date, it’s in service of a biographical tale that’s as humorous as it is ultimately heartbreaking.
Blue Moon is a showcase for Hawke like he’s never had before, and that’s saying something. Hawke often is at his best with Linklater, so it’s no surprise that he’s bringing this out, but it’s still incredible to witness. Hawke is locked in, while Linklater focuses in on the brilliant work that’s in front of him, with us all truly benefitting.
Set almost entirely on March 31st, 1943 in the restaurant Sardi’s, this is the story of lyricist Lorenz Hart (Hawke) on the opening night of the musical Oklahoma!. The show marked his former partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) beginning what would be an even more fruitful collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney). Walking out of the show and into the restaurant, Hart is reckoning with the fact that his best days are almost certainly behind him.
Setting up shop at the bar, Hart waxes on to bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) and pretty much anyone who will listen about life, love, music, sex, and all other topics on his mind. He’s waiting for the party honoring Rodgers to begin, but also for Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), whom he lusts after, to arrive. His clear struggles with alcoholism and potentially mental illness are covered up somewhat by his charm and likability, but as the night goes on, he begins to notice more and more the sadness in the eyes of those around him. They see him already in the past tense, all too eager to put Rodgers and Hart to the side in favor of Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Ethan Hawke is extraordinary here, inhabiting Lorenz Hart in all his glory and sadness. Getting to do some major monologuing, it’s an absolutely hypnotic performance. You never miss the sadness within him, but Hawke is also sure to allow all of his charm to shine through as well. It’s stunning work. Bobby Cannavale is very amusing as the bartender lending a sympathetic ear, while Andrew Scott comes on strong in a few scenes opposite Hawke. Margaret Qualley shines as well playing Hart’s protege who is beginning to realize that else is on his mind. They all share wonderful chemistry with each other. In addition to the aforementioned Simon Delaney, the small supporting performances include Patrick Kennedy, Jonah Lees, David Rawle, Giles Surridge, and more.
Richard Linklater directs a screenplay by Robert Kaplow with a keen eye towards performance. Linklater has achieved a wonderful visual effect completely practically in basically shrinking Hawke, though without ever calling attention to it. Kaplow’s script is verbose and Linklater lets the performances sink. In some ways, this is another of his hangout flicks, just in a time period he’s never tackled before. Blue Moon is clearly a project that meant a lot to Hawke and Linklater, with the results speaking for themselves.
Blue Moon is supremely entertaining and very moving. Whether at the Telluride Film Festival currently or imminently at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival, this is a really good movie that deserves to be seen. If you like Hawke and Linklater together, you’re going to be delighted by what they’re up to here.
SCORE: ★★★1/2
Big Ethan Hawke night at Telluride, I see.
Just kind of the way it worked out for me, but he’s having an excellent festival.