BLUE MOON Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Richard Linklater
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, Bobby Cannavale, Margaret Qualley, Jonah Lees, Patrick Kennedy, Samuel Delaney, Cillian Sullivan.
Blue Moon is a bittersweet biographical drama about Lorenz Hart, the acclaimed lyricist best known for his work with Richard Rogers on songs including enduring hits like The Lady Is A Tramp and Blue Moon, the song which gives the film its title. Blue Moon is the ninth collaboration between director Richard Linklater and star Ethan Hawke, who delivers one of the best performances of his career as Hart, and their first film together since the Oscar winning Boyhood in 2014.
Despite his successful collaboration with Rogers, Hart’s drunkenness and bouts of depression and unreliable behaviour led to the eventual dissolution of their twenty-year partnership. Rogers (Andrew Scott, from All Of Us Strangers, etc) began a new partnership with Oscar Hammerstein (Samuel Delaney, from The Conjuring 2, etc), and their first show together was the hit musical Oklahoma! The film’s action unfolds on the night that the popular show had its Broadway premier.
An embittered and cynical Hart watches the show but leaves early and makes his way to the famed Sardi’s bar. There he awaits the arrival of Rogers and Hammerstein and their triumphant after-party crowd.
In the meantime, Hart rails bitterly about his failing career and the dramas in his life that have led to him reaching this low point (he died eight months afterwards at the age of 48). He also rants about the state of musical theatre. Listening to his often revealing and deeply personal outpourings are bartender Eddie (Bobby Carnavale, from MaXXXine, etc); Morty (Jonah Lees, from The Phantom Of The Open, etc), a soldier on leave moonlighting as a piano player; and author E B White (Patrick Kennedy, from Peterloo, etc), a regular patron. Hart, who was a closeted homosexual, flirts with a handsome young man delivering flowers. He also expresses his love for 20-year-old Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), an aspiring theatre designer. He admits he loves her, “but not in that way.”
During the night he reflects back on his successful career. He gives White the inspiration for his childrens’ book Stuart Little, and also shares some story ideas with Rogers, who is trying to celebrate the evening without the distractions provided by his bitter and disgruntled former partner. He also meets future film director George Roy Hill and gives him some advice. Hammerstein also briefly introduces Hart to his young protégé, Stephen Sondheim (played by Cillian Sullivan, from Spilt Milk, etc), who dismisses his work as funny but sloppy.
Written by Robert Kaplow (Orson Welles And Me, etc), the film is a character study and is set on the evening of March 31, 1943, the opening night of Oklahoma! on Broadway. The film was largely inspired by a series of letters exchanged between Hart and Weiland, but Kaplow has taken numerous liberties with the facts for dramatic purposes.
The film was shot on a soundstage in Ireland over fifteen days. Blue Moon is heavily dialogue driven, and plays out almost like a theatre piece with its articulate dialogue and its drama unfolding within the confines of the single setting. Susie Cullen’s production design is superb and realistically recreates the interior of the famous Sardi’s restaurant with its autographed caricatures decorating its walls. Costumes from designer Consolata Boyle (The Queen, etc) authentically recreate the glamourous 40s aesthetic. The film has been nicely lensed by regular cinematographer Shane F Kelly (Boyhood, etc).
Fittingly the film is dominated by Hawke, who delivers the best performance of his career as the sometimes charming and witty Hart, and he thoroughly deserves his Oscar nomination. He pours plenty of emotion and pain into his monologues and deflects his pain with witty asides. This is a remarkable transformation for Hawke, who is almost unrecognisable with a combover and slouched body, but he captures Hart’s fragile persona effectively. Apparently, Hart was diminutive in stature, and the production crew had to use lots of digital tricks and dig small trenches around the set so that Hawke could appear smaller while interacting with other characters.
The supporting ensemble cast is also equally strong. Andrew Scott is restrained but brings dignity and class to his portrayal of Rogers, and his shared scenes with Hawke crackle with an underlying sense of tension. Cannavale is superb as the friendly Eddie, a stereotypical cinema bartender who patiently listens and laconically dispenses wise advice. Qualley is also good, bringing confidence and strength to her role as the aspiring Elizabeth who confides in Hart, who takes a voyeuristic pleasure in hearing about her sexual escapades with college boys.
Blue Moon will prove to be an acquired taste for audiences but will certainly resonate with those who appreciate the history of American musical theatre.
★★★
