Review: Blue Moon – Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered am I
Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale
7/10
It’s the premiere of ‘Oklahoma!’, and famed lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) finds himself critical of the nascent hit his erstwhile partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) has been involved with. As he sits ruefully at the bar, waiting for the after-party and a young woman (Margaret Qualley) he’s hoping to woo, he engages in conversation with those around him. As the evening progresses, he reveals a lot about himself, his career, his alcoholism, and his attitude towards life and art.
A verbose film, reliant on the central performance and smart script to carry it. Fortunately both seem to be in safe hands, but your tolerance for the witty dialogue driving the film will affect your enjoyment. In short (no pun intended to Hart or the distracting visual tricks used to force Hawke to be his size), Blue Moon won’t be everyone’s glass of bourbon, but if you want an intriguing character study about one of America’s greatest lyricists, then you could do much worse. If you want it to also be set in a single location, well, this might be your only option.
Ethan Hawke is in fine form as Hart, giving a career-best performance. He’s skittish, whimsical, and quick-witted, but most importantly, he disappears into the shadow of the historical character he’s playing. It carries the film, drawing the audience’s attention from scene to scene, each encounter revealing a facet of the icon.
However, it’s not the best performance in the piece. By its very character (and the stage-like nature of the script), it’s a very highly mannered and flamboyant performance. When compared to some of the more pared-back or more naturalistic performances, it ironically appears overly theatrical. Scott, as the more repressed Rodgers, delivers a masterclass in understatement, conveying volumes with a glance. Whereas Qualley is riveting as the object of Hart’s desire, showing a sharp mind and captivating sense of freedom.
Linklater is exemplary at capturing the era and sense of place, transporting audiences back to those early war days. He also manages to use the limited sets to great advantage with a keen eye for framing, using that to speak volumes about the characters. Meanwhile, Robert Kaplow seems very adept at converting a stream of letters between Hart and Ms Weiland into an intriguing drama.
If you can allow yourself to accept the dialogue-heavy, artificial, play-like structure of the narrative, the ’40s sexism, and the occasional meta commentary, then there’s really a lot to admire here. However, for me personally, those aspects often jarred me out of the shared dreaming that is watching a film. As such, for all the cleverness of Blue Moon, I find myself only admiring it rather than loving it.
DAVID O’CONNELL