When the year’s top performance premiered in theaters in October 2025, many were completely oblivious. Featuring a filmmaker who defines a generation, a transformative portrayal, and a star-studded supporting ensemble, the legacy of Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” is bound to significantly outlast its brief run at the box office, as both critics and audiences commend Ethan Hawke’s depiction of the troubled songwriter Lorenz Hart as the pinnacle of one of Hollywood’s most enchanting actors.
A heartrending character exploration of a man whose world, artistry, and relationships slip away from him, “Blue Moon” observes as Hart’s mask of witty remarks and self-importance crumbles under an onslaught of sorrow and envy when his long-time collaborator Richard Rodgers, portrayed by Andrew Scott, embarks on the most triumphant stretch in musical theater history with the debut of the legendary “Oklahoma!”. Predominantly occurring over a single night at the iconic New York venue Sardi’s, the film confines one of America’s profound artistic tragedies to a series of urgent dialogues between Hart and his fellow patrons, including a suave bartender (Bobby Cannavale), writers Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) and E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy), and protégé-turned-possible love interest Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley).
Hawke’s portrayal is a blend of humor and pathos, as the alcoholic Hart struggles to conceal his feelings of despair and jealousy with a barrage of crude humor, spirited soliloquies, heartfelt confessions, and half-formed writing proposals. Hawke’s performance stands out as one of the finest in his esteemed career. Complete with a combover and an seemingly impossible 12-inch height reduction, his metamorphosis into the elusive songwriter known for classics like “My Funny Valentine,” “Isn’t It Romantic?,” “My Heart Stood Still,” “Bewitched,” and the titular “Blue Moon” is one of the most captivating feats of cinematic artistry in 2025 and truly deserving of the award-season acclaim it seeks.
The imp inside Ethan Hawke
Premiering at the Berlin film festival to thunderous applause, “Blue Moon” showcases an exceptional performance a decade in the making, as the duo have been toying with fellow Richard Linklater collaborator Robert Kaplow’s script for around 12 years. The issue? Ethan Hawke was too much of a heartthrob to portray the small-statured, balding Hart. While audiences may lovingly roll their eyes at the heartthrob’s sarcastic musings about career opportunities lost to his graceful aging, the extended time spent immersing in Hart’s character is evident. By incorporating all the odd mannerisms and personality traits of the quirky writer, Hawke transports Hart straight from the pages of Broadway history, bringing the famously larger-than-life character vividly to life in a mesmerizing interplay of comedic timing and existential dread. What makes this transformation even more intriguing is the stark contrast between Hart and Hawke’s public persona. As Hawke himself articulates in an interview with co-star Andrew Scott on Sony Pictures Classics’ YouTube channel, every actor possesses an “imp” or “a profoundly different character that resides within us, and this one is mine.”
Observing Hawke in “Blue Moon” evokes the sensation of holding an amber-encased fossil to candlelight; audiences revel in the glow of encountering a relic from the past wholly encapsulated within its small, Bourbon-hued prism. As Hart oscillates between incisive theater critiques to earnest pleas for love, friendship, and just one more drink, the façade shatters under the pressure of a world he barely recognizes. However, rather than an instance of existential disintegration, the film balances cynicism with a hefty dose of sharp dialogue and philosophical musings, turning what might feel like a slow-motion disaster into an emotional monster truck rally with your favorite foul-mouthed uncle.
Is it time?
“Blue Moon” arrives at a compelling juncture for both its lead and director. Ethan Hawke, whose career is brimming with captivating roles, is experiencing a mini-renaissance with entries in his “Black Phone” horror series and the television thriller “The Lowdown.” For Richard Linklater, this is his second 2025 film exploring an eccentric artist at a career crossroads, with his first, Netflix’s “Nouvelle Vague,” highlighting director Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal 1960 French New Wave classic, “Breathless.” In both instances, Linklater captures a momentous snapshot in art history, one portraying a legendary artist on the verge of greatness, and the other having plummeted from the heights.
Yet, the duo are far from the film’s only highlights. Andrew Scott as Hart’s reserved and thoughtful former collaborator, Richard Rodgers,
