BLUE MOON. Linklater’s Best Film Since “Boyhood” [REVIEW]

With the love he carries in his heart, he could easily gift the entire world. And for the past 25 years, he has done just that—creating undeniable musical hits alongside his longtime partner, including Isn’t It Romantic, My Funny Valentine, and the legendary Blue Moon. Yet today, no matter how desperately he begs for his love to be returned, no one can ease his suffering.

After decades of collaboration with one of the greatest filmmakers of our time, Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as Lorenz Hart—a romantic lost in the labyrinth of emotions—in what is undoubtedly the director’s finest work since the unforgettable Boyhood.

“Vigilant, dynamic, a delight to be around.”
“He was the saddest man I ever knew.”

Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke, who have spent the last ten years bringing the story of Lorenz Hart—one of Broadway’s most celebrated lyricists—to the screen, deliberately open their latest captivating project with quotes that showcase the beautiful contradiction at the heart of this lost, shy man yearning for romantic love.

But who really is Larry Hart? Once, he was a legend, a creative genius, a master of crafting the most beautiful entertainment imaginable. But now? Even he isn’t sure if he still deserves to be called a true artist. Filled with resignation, longing for old friendships, and clinging to his passion for work, he drifts through tangled reflections on all that has been lost in his career.

March 31, 1943, is a day of personal mourning for him. While the world celebrates the success of Oklahoma!—the musical by Richard Rodgers, his former collaborator in a tumultuous creative partnership—Larry remains a mere observer of his triumph. A guest who, though not explicitly thrown out of the party, is certainly not a welcome presence. Naïvely in love with the ideals of the past, he must ultimately come to terms with the personal failure he so desperately tries to push away.

He masks his deep insecurity with relentless black humor, his only shield against the hardest moment of his life. But as the world seems to drift further away from him with every passing second, the demons of addiction, loss, and a desperate need for recognition take hold, speaking through him with an intensity never seen before—whispering, louder and louder, that nothing remains for him now except a sentimental farewell.

Ethan Hawke, who underwent an incredible physical transformation for Linklater’s latest project, delivers a breathtaking, Oscar-worthy performance after more than 30 years of working with the director. Blue Moon masterfully blends humor with profound life reflection—a signature of both filmmakers—highlighting the most beautiful themes of their past collaborations.

Robert Kaplow’s screenplay is a treasure trove of razor-sharp wit, and while its theatrical structure might feel overly familiar in cinema, Linklater keeps it fresh. Even the longest monologues resonate dynamically. After all, we experience Larry’s character by spending just one extraordinary day with him—a day filled with sorrow, disappointment, and the loss of many loves. Every perfectly crafted dialogue serves as the foundation for telling the story of a man full of contradictions, who, above all else, just wants to be heard.

Much like Celine and Jesse in the Before trilogy, Linklater offers us only a glimpse of Larry’s true personality. How much can we really learn about a person in just one evening? Blue Moon doesn’t aim to be a comprehensive biography, firing off the major milestones of Hart’s life like bullets from a machine gun. Instead, it focuses on his final confession—a night filled with references to his beloved Casablanca and plenty of comedic asides.

His story unfolds through intimate conversations—with bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), his former partner-turned-celebrated composer Richard (Andrew Scott), and, finally, with his unattainable love, Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley)—a beautiful yet hollow young poet who, instead of embracing his open heart, wounds him further with tales of her romantic conquests.

Like a feverish stage play, limited to just a few rooms, Blue Moon is a deeply moving farewell letter from an artist seemingly doomed to eternal oblivion. And yet, in the hands of the extraordinary trio of Hawke, Scott, and Qualley, Larry Hart’s story becomes one of the most authentic and beautiful works in their filmographies—a blend of sharp-witted comedy and inspiration from Hollywood’s greatest classics.

So, has Linklater cast a spell powerful enough to make Blue Moon stand alongside his most iconic works? His latest project thrives on exquisitely crafted characters and a brilliant script that, beneath its ever-present humor, tells a deeply melancholic story of heartbreak—both that of an artist with a fragile ego and of an ordinary man disappointed by life.

Blue Moon is nothing like the sexy, feverish comedy Hit Man. Instead, it returns to the roots of Hawke and Linklater’s filmmaking—profound, tender, and irresistibly nostalgic. Larry Hart’s story feels like the perfect culmination of their decades-long collaboration—one that might finally, at long last, bring them both Oscar gold.

A film that feels like a spontaneously recorded stage play, Blue Moon grips the heart and lingers long after you leave the theater. While its dense, erudite dialogue can occasionally overwhelm and dramatize Larry’s story even further (which, from now on, will certainly never be forgotten), it is precisely in this theatricality that Linklater’s old-new style finds its unique charm. With a knowing wink to Before trilogy fans, he invites us to a journey of inner catharsis, paying tribute to the most beautiful era of cinematic history.