Blue Moon

Before Rodgers and Hammerstein, there was Rodgers and Hart. But Lorentz Hart (Ethan Hawke) had a drinking problem, which isn’t helped any by the rousing success of his old partner’s first show with his new lyricist: Oklahoma!. Almost the entirety of the movie plays out over a single night, opening night of the rousing success, with Hart holding court in a bar where the afterparty is to be held, trying to woo a young fan, connect with Rodgers to resume his career, and subtly slight the work of his replacement. It’s a witty, sharp, sweetly sad love letter to the golden days of Broadway, and is currently has a 90% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Directed by Richard Linklater, from a crisply bittersweet screenplay by Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon is as elegantly witty and luxuriantly melancholic as one of Rogers and Hart’s toe-tapping, heart-swelling compositions.” -Wendy Ide, Observer (UK)
“While Blue Moon will surely be most enjoyed by theater kids, both then and now, the juicy screenplay from Robert Kaplow and performances, primarily Hawke’s, give everyone something to savor and remember.” -Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
“With Hawke’s exceptional performance at its center, the film earns its place as a poignant, quietly powerful character study.” -Linda Marric, HeyUGuys
“Watching people wind up and unravel in real time is a Linklater specialty dating back to Slacker, and his direction here is wonderfully precise.” -Adam Nayman, The New Republic
“Richard Linklater’s sensitive portrayal of American lyricist Lorenz Hart, played with a witty, frenetic energy by Ethan Hawke, brings us deep into the gossipy theatre-crowd milieu of old New York.” -Nicholas Rapold, Sight & Sound
“Free of sentimentality, dipped in regret, Blue Moon is a sophisticated love song to a bygone era.” -Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups
“Despite the wistful tone, it’s a bitingly funny viewing experience. Shrunken to Hart’s height and given his balding pate, Hawke is transfixing in the role.” -David Sims, The Atlantic
“Blue Moon is both a modest movie and a dazzling, generous work.” -Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine
“There’s so much rage, bitterness and regret stirring just below the surface of Hawke’s raw performance that it makes Blue Moon feel much bigger than it is. It’s a minor film that packs a major emotional punch.” -Adam Graham, Detroit News
“Linklater’s film belongs heart and soul to Ethan Hawke, who delivers a tour de force that swerves from hilarity to heartbreak, sometimes in the same scene. It’s a tragedy that unspools with astonishing buoyancy and sneaky wit.” -Peter Travers, The Travers Take
“Linklater really nails the atmosphere here; watching Blue Moon feels like sitting with smart people in a retro bar, covered in a gentle blanket of cocktail piano.” -Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Blue Moon opens at The Clyde on Friday, January 23, and plays Friday, Saturday, & Monday at 7:30 plus Sunday at 2:00.