Richard Linklater is a director I deeply admire and helmed one of the greatest contemporary film trilogies with the Before series. Now, with Blue Moon, he reunites with his longtime collaborator, Ethan Hawke, and the result is another quiet, contemplative film anchored by a commanding central performance.
BIue Moon truly belongs to Ethan Hawk and is a reminder of just how dynamic and malleable he is as an actor – someone who can move seamlessly between grounded dramas like Before Sunset, superhero projects (remember, Moon Knight), and even horror flicks like Sinister and The Black Phone. This just reinforces his talent, with nearly every moment of dialogue and emotion revolving around him.
It’s remarkable how he shoulders almost the entire runtime while still bringing subtlety and humanity to Broadway songwriter Lorenz Hart. Unfortunately, that is the extent of what is overwhelmingly good about this film. The supporting cast – Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott – do serviceable with the limited amount of material they are working with.
Something that struck me was the staging of the film. Almost the entirety of the story unfolds at a bar in New York’s theater district, creating an intimate setting for the performances to shine. This felt not unlike the Before Trilogy, where much of the “action” happens in a few location. The difference here is the intimacy for one reason or another felt more stagnant. The stagnancy was also felt in the screenplay, which leaned heavily toward pitying our subject, rather than examining him.
For one reason or another, the film did not feel generous toward the character, and by extension, Hart himself. The writer of the film, Robert Kaplow, is primarily a novelist; Blue Moon is his second screenwriting effort behind Me and Orson Welles (another Linklater collaboration) and that just might be the issue. This story did not quite translate cinematically.
I’m still curious why Linklater chose this story – why this man, this moment – but perhaps that mystery is part of its pull. Blue Moon may not break new ground, but it’s a graceful showcase for Ethan Hawke’s often under-appreciated talent and just okay on every other front.
