Blue Moon (2025)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Some films stay in a viewer’s memory, while others, like “Blue Moon,” leave a mark on the soul. Richard Linklater’s latest isn’t just a biopic — it’s a sad, night-long goodbye to Lorenz Hart, the troubled songwriter whose lyrics still echo in bars and lonely hearts. Watching this film, one is drawn into a world that is at once bright and sad, carried by astonishing performances.

The story unfolds on a rainy night in 1943 at the famous Sardi’s restaurant. Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) drifts among old friends, new fans, and the ghosts of his regrets. As Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! celebrates a big win on Broadway just blocks away, Hart — once half of the Rodgers & Hart team — finds himself alone. The night feels like a play. Hart shares drinks and stories with bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) and young pianist Morty (Jonah Lees), who admires Hart but worries about him. At the center is Hart’s touching relationship with Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), a poet and set designer who brings hope into his life. Their bond shines, but Elizabeth’s gentle truth — that her love isn’t romantic — leaves Hart open and heartbreakingly human.

One of the most affecting aspects of the film is its honest portrayal of Hart’s struggle with alcoholism. The viewer is saddened by his addiction; seeing him tortured, hurt, and lonely pulls at the heartstrings. Alcoholism destroyed his life and career, leaving him isolated even as his immense talent continued to shine.

Hart’s strained relationship with Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) is full of pain. Rodgers, lifted by new success and weighed down by Hart’s troubles, tries to fix things, but their past is both a help and a burden. As the hours pass, Hart’s wit and talent flicker — sometimes bright, sometimes fading — as he battles self-doubt, drinking, and loneliness.

Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart is simply amazing. He doesn’t just play Hart; he becomes him, showing Hart’s humor, softness, and haunted genius. Hawke’s eyes reveal a man who once wrote America’s love songs, now struggling to find love and meaning. His scenes with Margaret Qualley are unforgettable, every look brimming with longing. Andrew Scott as Richard Rodgers is genuine and thoughtful, portraying a man whose success is mixed with sadness over a friendship that can’t be fixed. Bobby Cannavale and Jonah Lees help ground the film in reality and heart.

Linklater’s direction is masterful, turning Sardi’s into a living memory — a place where past and present mingle under warm light. The story’s single-night setting makes it feel intimate, trapping the audience in Hart’s world as it falls apart.

Blue Moon examines the cost of being gifted. It doesn’t hide Hart’s struggle with drinking and his complex sexuality. It shows a man hurt by dreams that never came true and love that never returned, whose talent couldn’t protect him from pain.

Will Ethan Hawke win the Oscar for this role? He should, but awards are never certain. Blue Moon is a great film — one to see, talk about, and remember.

Frank Gaimari is an author and film reviewer in Seattle, where he lives with his husband and their two golden retrievers. You can learn more about his work at http://www.FrankGaimari.com.