Can there really be two music biopics opening this weekend? Yes, though they share little in common other than popular songs. The “Boss” flick is set in the early 1980s and zeroes in on a couple of years of his career. This film is set nearly forty years before, and it mainly (other than a brief prologue) happens during one fateful night. And it’s pretty much set in one place. Oh, and rather than the world of rock and roll, this comedy/drama is in the world of musical theater on Broadway (technically musical comedy, I suppose). You may not know the name of this film’s main focus, but after eighty years, much of the world is still singing his lyrics, especially the often-recorded and revived BLUE MOON.
Yes, you read that correctly. This film isn’t about a tunesmith, but rather a writer of lyrics. In that aforementioned prologue, we see a diminutive man shuffling and stumbling through a rain-drenched alley. That man is Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke). The story then shifts to a few months in the past, the evening of March 31, 1943, the opening of the classic Broadway musical, “Oklahoma”. Lorenz, along with his mother, watches from an exclusive “box seat” until he can stand no more of the “corn pone”. Telling his mom that he needs a drink, Hart sprints away to Sardi’s restaurant, where the show’s after-party will be held. In the first floor bar area, he begins to kibitz with his old bartender pal Eddie (Bobby Cannavale). He’ll only serve Lorenz club soda, as he has a big booze problem, though a bottle is keep near “for appearances”. Hart is both looking forward to and dreading a reunion with his old writing partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), now teamed with Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney). But Hart is ecstatic about a tryst with young Yale art student Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley). Eddie’s a bit confused, since he though Lorenz leaned toward another gender. Hart insists that he’s fluid and, despite their 27-year age difference, believes that tonight’s the big night for them. As he bemoans the impending demise of wit on the “Great White Way”, Hart notices a man writing at a table. It’s one of his favorite authors, E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy). The two bound over their love of language until Elizabeth arrives. As she regales Hart with stories of college “hook-ups”, the “Oklahoma” entourage dashes in for cocktails and to read the early rave reviews. Hart corners Rodgers to pitch a new pairing while discussing a revival of an older work. As the new Broadway “darlings” begin to depart, Hart ponders whether he’ll ever be back on “top”, in his profession and in his personal life.
This film is truly a tour de force showcase for the acting artistry of Hawke as he tackles a truly complex artist. His work goes beyond the “gimmick” of appearing to be a spin on Jose Ferrer as Toulouse Lautrec in MOULIN ROUGE and his severe “comb-over” to give life to a man riddled with insecurity, struggling to retain his dignity, all the while obsessively trying to regain the “brass ring”, be it Broadway success or the elusive young protégé. In Hart’s meeting with Rodgers, Hawke conveys that pleading sweaty desperation while acting as if nothing as really changed between. This might be the defining performance of Hawke’s impressive career. Luckily, the engaging Cannavale proves to be a superb scene partner as Eddie, who is alternately amused and disgusted by Hart’s antics (his “BS detector” is working overtime) while making sure he steers clear of the booze that will destroy him. Qualley is a wide-eyed, bouncy blonde dream girl as the effusive, but unknowingly encouraging Elizabeth.. She thinks of Hart as a mentor, while dismissing his often clumsy advances. Then there’s Hart’s other object of desire, a re-teaming with the “man that got away”, Rodgers, given a distracted air by the compelling Scott. Yes, he’s happy to be showered with praise, but he’s not entirely indifferent to his former partner. Scott shows us that as he tries to toss Hart a life preserver (a revival of their old show) while defending pointed barbs at his latest work (there’s a place for sentiment in the war-torn world) and trying to make it clear that he’s part of a different duo. Their interplay is both amusing and sad, much like the ending of a theatrical marriage.
Longtime Hawke collaborator Richard Linklater directs from a very literate script from Robert Kaplow that deftly balances comedy and tragedy in the tale of longing and regret. Hart had once had everything until he squandered it all due to his addictions and an ego bigger than his slight frame. Yes, it does often resemble a stage play after the brief alley prologue and the scene that follows during the finale of “Oklahoma”, but the character dynamics and bouncy retorts expand the confines of the bar (though we do explore the “water closet” briefly). The period costumes are quite stunning, especially Qualley’s gown, and the soundtrack filled with period tunes (from Hart and others) is very effective. Plus, this story is pure “catnip” for musical comedy buffs , especially when we get a brief moment with Oscar’s precocious young guest (stage fans will get it). It’s not a sprawling epic, but fans of the era, and the excellent cast, will be enchanted. Why, they might just be over the BLUE MOON about it.
3 Out of 4
BLUE MOON is now playing in select theatres
