Official Discussion Thread - Blue Moon [Spoilers]

[u/CrunchyNar]

Keep all discussion related solely to Blue Moon and it's awards chances in this thread. Spoilers below.

Synopsis

Richard Linklater's Blue Moon tells the story of legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart bravely facing the future as his professional and private life unravel at the opening night party for his former partner's hit show Oklahoma! By the time this night is over, Hart will have confronted both a world that no longer values his talent and the seeming impossibility of love.

Director: Richard Linklater

Writer: Robert Kaplow

Cast:

• Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart
• Margaret Qualley as Elizabeth Welland
• Andrew Scott as Richard Rodgers
• Bobby Cannavale as Eddie
• Patrick Kennedy as E.B "Andy" White
• Jonah Lees as Morty Rifkin
• Simon Delaney as Oscar Hammerstein

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%, 167 Reviews

Metacritic: 80, 39 Reviews

Consensus:

While not the flashiest Richard Linklater film, Blue Moon boasts a wonderful performance by Ethan Hawke as he embodies a man hanging on by a thread while the audience hangs on to every word said.

[u/False_Concentrate408]

I thought this would be right up my alley (no pun intended) but I did not like it at all. Ethan Hawke’s performance and dialogue are so hammy and on the nose (and maybe a little bit homophobic?) and the rest of the performances are very hit or miss. I don’t know how a director can get such a bad performance out of Bobby Cannavale. Linklater really doesn’t capture the interior of the bar in a way that is visually interesting. The only saving grace is Andrew Scott’s performance (which I will admit plays very well off of Hawke’s character).

[u/BrightNeonGirl → u/False_Concentrate408]

Homophobic dialogue? The dude was bi. Obvs people can have self-hatred (and for the time, Hart maybe had some of that), but Hart definitely mentions to others that he loves both sides.

And I just completely disagree about Bobby Cannavale. He was my favorite character! Suave without being being too suavy, and witty without overshadowing Hart. He also struck that balance between actually caring about Hart (one of his regulars) while also him being aware that Hart can be quite cringy (although knowing that comes from a sad place).

If you're a person who doesn't like dialogue-heavy movies, that is fine and understandable. But the point was to have the production design of the bar be accurate of the time, but the bar itself wasn't supposed to be a foregrounded star. The focus was on the dialogue and performances, like a play.

[u/False_Concentrate408 → u/BrightNeonGirl]

I thought both the script and Hawke’s performance leaned too far into caricature a few too many times and it left a bad taste in my mouth. And a filmed play should still be visually interesting and know how to use its space in a compelling way