Review: Blue Moon

Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

 

A film about Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart might on the surface seem a peculiar choice of subject matter for director Richard Linklater, but the manner in which the story is told is certainly within his wheelhouse. Set on one night - March 31, 1943 - against the backdrop of the premiere of "Oklahoma!," which was written by Hart's former working partner, Richard Rodgers, with Oscar Hammerstein, the film finds Hart at that moment when opportunity and love close the door in your face.

"Blue Moon" is quintessentially Linklater in that it is a hangout film that is primarily dialogue-driven and, in this case, takes place one on set - the bar where Hart is bemoaning his career fade-out as the party is just about to begin on the other side of the room once his former partner and that guy's entourage arrive. Meanwhile, Hart - who is gay - is curiously also fussing over a young woman, Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), whom he refers to as his protege. His attentions toward her surprise the bartender, Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), who seemingly knows Hart well enough to find it strange that he's interested in a woman.

Much of the film is driven by Ethan Hawke's monologuing as Hart, a brash and talkative fellow who probably drives everyone at the bar - which includes a pianist (Jonah Lees) and E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy) - a little nuts. But Hart, we learn through his conversations with Elizabeth and Rodgers (Andrew Scott), is a person who gives - perhaps too much for his own good. He's also a person who can't keep his opinions to himself and can, at times, be his own worst enemy.

The film is often funny, mostly due to Hart's ability to be outrageous in all company. But he's also a tragic figure. As the film opens, we learn of his fate, which occurs just months before the picture is set, and much of the movie involves him coming to grips with the fact that his time has passed. There's an interesting moment early in the film in which Hart, Eddie, and the piano player discuss the ending of "Casablanca," in which the guy doesn't get the girl, and it acts as a metaphor of what's to come.

Hawke and Linklater have one of the most interesting working relationships in the movies - yielding such great works as the "Before" series, "Waking Life," and the remarkable "Boyhood." "Blue Moon" might seem like a minor entry - it has the feel of a play due to its one location and emphasis on dialogue - but it's a small film that hits its marks.

In the song that gives the film its title, one of the lyrics goes, "Blue moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own," and then later, "I heard somebody whisper, 'Please adore me.'" During the film's second half, Hart watches Rodgers receive that adoration - of which he and Hammerstein would get an abundance over the years - while he finds himself, as the song says, standing alone. This is a small film that often packs a big punch.