Blue Moon is set in 1943 and centres around Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke – Black Phone 2), then-collaborator with Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott – Ripley), with Hart’s lyrics and Rodgers’ audio, for famous musicals such as Pal Joey, and their final collaboration, By Jupiter.
Given that I wasn’t born for a few more decades, I was still a bit more familiar with Rogders’ later collaborations with Oscar Hammerstein II, such as South Pacific and, of course, The Sound of Music – which I recently saw on the big screen for its 60th Anniversary – given that my Mum was a big fan of these.
However, I then look to a film like this to fill me in on all the details, and it begins with Hart’s untimely death at 48, on November 22nd of that year before going back 7 months to when Blue Moon takes place, the title taken from one of Hart’s own songs.
As we see Hart enter a bar, run by Eddie (Bobby Cannavale – Nine Perfect Strangers), it’s the opening night of Oklahoma!, the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein – with history confirming how successful their partnership was, after the former had grown tired of Hart’s alcoholism, causing the estranged friend to try to put on a brave face about it all as the after-party heads from the stage to the bar’s upstairs room, yet Hart is not invited.
As such, Blue Moon is like watching a mostly one-room play. People drift in an out of scene, such as 20-year-old Yale art student and aspiring production designer Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley – Honey Don’t!), who Hart is somewhat infatuated by, despite coming across as camp as a row as tents, albeit declaring himself as “omnisexual”, whatever that’s supposed to mean, although given all the nonsense terms Gen Z use in 2025, he would fit in well, today.
The only constants onscreen for the duration are Hart and barman Bobby, and as much as I wanted to enjoy a Richard Linklater film on the big screen, Blue Moon can be summed up as: “Man sits at bar. Suddenly, nothing happens.”
I got so immensely bored watching it, that I was able to concentrate on how the sound of a shot drink being poured, actually began slightly BEFORE the pouring began.
That shows how unengaged I was with Blue Moon. A good film should still draw me in, even if I’m not familiar with the subject, and such an example was in the ’90s, when I couldn’t get into The Exorcist, but hugely enjoyed Mark Kermode’s 75-minute documentary about it. BTW, I’ve seen since that a few more times and love it. Maybe a few more viewings of Blue Moon will help?
NOTE: There are no mid, nor post-credits scenes.
Blue Moon is in cinemas now, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 100 minutes
Release date: November 28th 2025
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (ARRIRAW (4.6K), Anamorphic Panavision)
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 1/10
Director: Richard Linklater
Producers: Mike Blizzard, Richard Linklater, John Sloss
Screenplay: Robert Kaplow
Inspired by the letters of: Lorenz Hart, Elizabeth Weiland
Music: Graham Reynolds
Cast:
Lorenz Hart: Ethan Hawke
Eddie: Bobby Cannavale
Richard Rodgers: Andrew Scott
Elizabeth Weiland: Margaret Qualley
E.B. ‘Andy’ White: Patrick Kennedy
Morty Rifkin: Jonah Lees
Oscar Hammerstein: Simon Delaney
Sven: Giles Surridge
Stevie Sondheim: Cillian Sullivan
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.