Ethan Hawke Shines in ‘Blue Moon’: A Bittersweet Portrait of Broadway’s Forgotten Lyricist Lorenz Hart

Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon is a poignant, sharply written character study that dives into the final hours of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, portrayed with raw brilliance by Ethan Hawke. Set in real-time at Sardi’s, the famed Manhattan haunt of theater legends, the film captures Hart’s emotional unraveling on the night his former partner’s musical Oklahoma! opens to acclaim.

Hawke's performance is a masterclass in vulnerability, and he gets Hart's bite and resentment and sadness as he drinks and broods. Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott do good supporting work, but it is Hawke who commands the film, performing a man haunted by thwarted love, fading prominence, and ghosts of his own ability.

Linklater's direction is close and theatrical, allowing the talky script from Robert Kaplow to feel like a stage play. The film avoids biopic cliches and instead gives us a poetic investigation of fame, talent, and loneliness. Rich period detail and emotionally charged performances make Blue Moon an homage and an indictment—a love letter to the golden age of Broadway and a dirge for those who were left behind.

As Hart careens through recollections and regret, the movie poses a question: when the lights dim, and the applause is no longer yours, what then? Blue Moon doesn't provide simple answers but makes an indelible mark—on one of sorrow, of humor, of the lingering pain of greatness unappreciated.