{"id":2510439,"date":"2025-11-14T05:01:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T10:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-lotta-hart-review-of-blue-moon-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T05:03:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T10:03:29","slug":"a-lotta-hart-review-of-blue-moon-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-lotta-hart-review-of-blue-moon-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"A lotta Hart: Review of &#8216;Blue Moon&#8217; &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-lotta-hart-review-of-blue-moon-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2510439&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article is a review of the film *Blue Moon* directed by Richard Linklater and starring ethan Hawke as lyricist Lorenz Hart. the reviewer reflects on a childhood memory of seeing the 1948 film *Words and Music*, which depicted Hart&#8217;s tragic final moments.*Blue Moon* <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/update-letter-by-ted-cruz-and-6-gop-senators-and-4-senators-elect-sign-letter-to-reject-election-call-for-election-commission-10-day-emergency-audit-takes-place\/\" title=\"UPDATE: Letter by Ted Cruz and 6 GOP Senators and 4 Senators-Elect Sign Letter to Reject Election \u2013 Call For Election Commission 10-Day Emergency Audit Takes Place\">takes place<\/a> predominantly on the opening night of the musical *Oklahoma!*, focusing on Hart&#8217;s emotional and personal struggles as he faces rejection from both his former collaborator Richard Rodgers and a young woman, Elizabeth. The film is set almost entirely within a Manhattan bar, where Hart confronts his insecurities, loneliness, and the end of his partnership with Rodgers, who has moved on too work with Oscar Hammerstein II. Despite the confined setting and brief runtime, the film is described as expansive, heartfelt, and skillfully acted. It offers a poignant portrayal of an artist on the brink of decline,blending ancient references with universal themes of vulnerability and longing. The reviewer praises Hawke&#8217;s transformative performance and Linklater&#8217;s direction, calling *Blue Moon* a compelling and unforgettable biopic that does not require over-analysis to appreciate its emotional impact.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">A lotta Hart: Review of &lsquo;Blue Moon&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>As an adolescent with basic cable in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-abc-hit-abbott-elementary-can-go-from-good-to-great\/\" title=\"How The ABC Hit \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Can Go From Good To Great\">pre-streaming era<\/a>, I often found myself watching snippets of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/movies-and-films\/\">unidentified films<\/a> on Turner Classic Movies. Only one has stayed with me: the end of what I would eventually come to learn was the 1948 film <em>Words and Music, <\/em>a biographical musical about Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. In the final scene, Hart, played by Mickey Rooney, sneaks out of a hospital to watch a musical before staggering out into the rain and dying.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, I really didn&rsquo;t know what I had watched. But I knew enough about Frank Sinatra to know that Rodgers and Hart had a lot of entries in the Great American Songbook. I knew enough about musical <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/theater\/\">theater<\/a> to know that Richard Rodgers would go on to become half of Rodgers and Hammerstein. And I knew that, despite the schmaltz of the last scene, Larry Hart must have been really messed up if they made a Hays Code movie about him expiring in a gutter not long after he actually died.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3885714\/osbourne-family-reveals-trump-called-after-ozzys-death\/\">Osbourne family reveals Trump called after Ozzy&#8217;s death<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3883596\/rob-schneider-urges-kindness-berkeley-tpusa-protests\/\">Rob Schneider recalls De Niro spat over Trump, urges kindness as Berkeley protest erupts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3882948\/jimmy-kimmel-told-his-children-trump-blame-show-suspension\/\">Kimmel says he told his children Trump was to blame for his show&#8217;s suspension<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;ve spent much time thinking about Hart since then, but that scene was one of the many things on my mind after seeing Richard Linklater&rsquo;s <em>Blue Moon<\/em>. The film, which stars Ethan Hawke as Hart, takes place on the opening night of <em>Oklahoma!<\/em>, Rodgers&rsquo;s smash hit with Oscar Hammerstein II, the lyricist who replaced Hart as the legendary composer&rsquo;s other half.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Margaret Qualley and Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon. (Sabrina Lantos\/Sony Picture Classics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Blue Moon <\/em>is 100 minutes long, has five people in its principal cast, and takes place entirely on the first floor of Sardi&rsquo;s in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/manhattan\/\">Manhattan<\/a>. That, combined with the fact that <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sony\/\">Sony<em>&nbsp;<\/em>Pictures Classics<\/a> distributed the movie<\/span>, feels like the setup for a claustrophobic art film. But <em>Blue Moon <\/em>is expansive, goofy, and heart-wrenching. Like a classic Rodgers and Hart tune, it does a lot with a little and leaves you shocked at what it makes you feel in such a short period of time.<\/p>\n<p>The film opens where <em>Words and Music <\/em>ends: with Hart dying in the rain. Unlike its predecessor, there&rsquo;s no mistaking what we&rsquo;re seeing here: a drunken loner meeting his sad demise.<\/p>\n<p>This prologue lasts just a moment, before we see Hart, seven months earlier, leaving the opening night of <em>Oklahoma!<\/em> and strolling into a bar, empty save for Eddie, a delightfully piquant bartender played by Bobby Cannavale. It quickly becomes clear that Hart had asked Eddie not to serve him: he&rsquo;s on the wagon. Over the course of the night, he&rsquo;ll have seven drinks.<\/p>\n<p>In between drinks, Hart mostly talks: to Eddie, to the piano player, to a solitary tippler in the corner who turns out to be E.B. White. He keeps looking at the door, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), a 20-year-old coed with whom he&rsquo;s become infatuated, and of Rodgers (Andrew Scott), whose triumphant entrance with Hammerstein, he knows, will mark the end of their 25-year partnership. Elizabeth arrives, as does Rodgers. They both reject Hart. The former&rsquo;s rejection is nicer than the latter&rsquo;s; the latter&rsquo;s is considerably more gutwrenching.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s the plot of <em>Blue Moon<\/em>. But to say that&rsquo;s what the movie is about is like saying 1954&rsquo;s <em>Ulysses <\/em>is about Leopold Bloom bumming around Dublin to avoid catching his wife in flagrante<em>. <\/em>It&rsquo;s true, but it misses the point. <em>Blue Moon <\/em>is ultimately, to borrow from Joyce again, the portrait of an artist on the verge of his sad demise. What makes it brilliant is that it is somehow universal and particular at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, you could read a lot into the character of Larry &mdash; insecure, closeted, craving affection, fighting to cling to what&rsquo;s left of his career &mdash; there&rsquo;s certainly plenty of fodder for that type of interpretation. Elizabeth, though apparently based on a real correspondent of Hart&rsquo;s, is a perfect cinematic pastiche, simultaneously the unattainable object of affection, a female stand-in for Rodgers, and a symbol of the purity and optimism that the cynical and tainted Hart always craved but never found.<\/p>\n<p>Though the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >film technically takes place<\/a> across the first floor of Sardi&rsquo;s, Hart always remains in the bar, the lowest level. He never really enters the opening night party across the floor. He gets close while talking to Rodgers, literally holding his partner back &mdash; from the party, from the adoring guests trying to greet him, from the producer reading out positive reviews. He repeats this performance later, on the staircase up to where the party has migrated. Rodgers puts the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-dan-bongino-on-the-future-of-parler-and-governments-role-in-tech\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Dan Bongino on the Future of Parler and Government\u2019s Role in Tech\">final nail<\/a> in their coffin while standing on the landing in front of a poster for <em>Show Boat <\/em>(lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II), before walking up and out of Hart&rsquo;s life forever. Hart never makes it to the party.<\/p>\n<p>So, if you feel compelled to analyze or make a symbol out of the man who wrote &ldquo;My Funny Valentine,&rdquo; you certainly can. But you don&rsquo;t have to, because <em>Blue Moon <\/em>is also a first-rate biopic. The 5&rsquo;10&rdquo; Hawke employs all manner of tricks to appear as diminutive as the 5&rsquo;0&rdquo; Hart. Scott manages to convey Rodgers&rsquo;s notorious lecherousness without a single line of dialogue, but plenty of lingering glances at the women in the room. The film has many historical, musical, and theatrical Easter Eggs that will delight those who recognize them.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3874391\/nuremberg-movie-review-nazi-war-crime-trials\/\">&lsquo;THIS WAR ENDS IN A COURTROOM&rsquo;: REVIEW OF NUREMBERG<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">doesn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t mean, however, that missing the references will detract from the movie, no more than ignoring the subtext will. More than an allegory or history, <em>Blue Moon <\/em>is a flawless portrait of a man in a moment. It is captivating and evocative because Linklater so perfectly portrays reality. Credit is also due to Hawke, who, despite shrinking himself and affecting a voice and playing a fool, pulls off a performance so earnest and emotional that it&rsquo;s hard to describe.<\/p>\n<p>I usually try to end reviews with some kind of grand thematic point. But not this time. <em>Blue Moon <\/em>doesn&rsquo;t need to be intellectualized or generalized. It&rsquo;s a phenomenal film, a triumph of performance and direction. I haven&rsquo;t stopped thinking about it &mdash; or humming the titular tune &mdash; since leaving the theatre. Go see this movie. You won&rsquo;t regret it.<\/p>\n<p><em>Tim Rice is the Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for the <\/em>Daily Wire<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lotta Hart: Reflecting on &#8216;Blue Moon&#8217; and Rodgers-Hart<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":317,"featured_media":2510440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LA.BlueMoon.111925.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[67073,67074,34310],"class_list":["post-2510439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-a-lotta-hart","tag-blue-moon","tag-movie-review"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LA.BlueMoon.111925.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2510439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2510439"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2510439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2510443,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2510439\/revisions\/2510443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2510440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2510439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2510439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2510439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}