IMDb plot summary: Tells the story of Lorenz Hart's struggles with alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face during the opening of "Oklahoma!".
Directed by Richard Linklater. Stars Ethan Hawke, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott.
Blue Moon is a Richard Linklater film starring Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart, of Rodgers & Hart, trying to reunite with his former songwriting partner on the opening night of Oklahoma!, Rodgers' successful pairing with a new lyricist. The film takes place in real time over the course of the opening night party. I have always really loved when Linklater goes small and intimate in his stories and evokes a more black-box-theater style, and this is absolutely that. It harkens back to what I loved about Before Sunrise, where we really just got to watch these two characters, one also played by Ethan Hawke there, interact with each other. The dialogue here is snappy and funny and smart and worth listening to, even if it didn't have the underlying character development going through it. Hart is a fascinating character here, and Hawke does an amazing job playing him, really bringing out the character's desperation, and how frequently he tries to cover it up with scores of clever words. I also want to shout out the supporting cast. Andrew Scott, as Richard Rodgers, is an incredible job here and is a wonderful foil for Hawke as Hart. Margaret Qualley is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses, and she is also excellent here as Hart's supposed love interest. If you have any connections in your heart to theater, especially musical theater, this is absolutely a must-watch. There is not only so much going on narratively in the story that is theater-adjacent -- including some lovely little Easter eggs that made me chuckle -- but it also has a theatrical feel in its execution, which I love. The longer that it sits with me, the more I like it.
How it entered my Flickchart:
🎥 Blue Moon (2025)
📊 Ranked #294/4185 on my Flickchart
🎯 Flickscore™: 93
beat Blackadder: Back & Forth (#2099 → #2100)
beat Robin Hood (#1039 → #1040)
beat All Quiet on the Western Front (#517 → #518)
lost to Chicken Run (held at #258)
beat 25th Hour (#387 → #388)
beat The Virgin Spring (#322 → #323)
lost to Equus (held at #290)
beat Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (#306 → #307)
beat Fatal Attraction (#298 → #299)
beat Deathtrap (#294 → #295)
lost to Two Lovers and a Bear (held at #292)
lost to Midsommar (held at #293)
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