During the weekend, I went with a neighbor to see the latest Richard Linklater movie, “Blue Moon.” My neighbor is social and a brilliant person who invited five other women to lunch and the movie. She frequently has get togethers like a Christmas lunch for 30 women, hosting a wedding shower in her home, and more recently having a birthday party of 12 for a neighbor. She seems to have limitless energy and the ability to organize and get people to show up!
I’ve seen a few Linklater movies that I really liked. The one that stuck with me was “Boyhood” which took place over 12 years, following one boy’s life from childhood to college. Ethan Hawke played the father and Patricia Arquette won an Academy Award for best supporting actress as the mother. I thought it was a remarkable project to undertake filming over so many years.
Linklater’s frequently writes and/or directs movies starring children or teenagers, e.g., Dazed and Confused (1993), School of Rock (2003), Bad News Bears (2005), Boyhood (2014) and Everybody Wants Some!! (2016).
Another common theme in his movies is they take place during one day — with the obvious exception of Boyhood. Blue Moon took place on the opening night of Oklahoma! on Broadway.
It’s the story of Lorenz Hart of Rodgers and Hart fame. After a falling out due to mental instability and alcoholism, Hart is replaced by Oscar Hammerstein. Rodgers and Hart are true opposites. Rodgers is a family man who wants to write music on a strict schedule. Hart rarely gets to bed before morning and spends his life smoking cigars and drinking bourbon in bars.
Although the movie dragged in places and the story isn’t uplifting, the writing is amazing and Ethan Hawke was beyond remarkable. I’ve read his role is worthy of Best Actor honors at the Academy Awards.
What I found especially interesting was the reaction of our row of seven women at the theatre. The woman sitting next to me was sound to sleep through most of the movie.
“Well that was uplifting!” one woman said sarcastically.
“I had such a great time today, in spite of the fact the movie sucked!” another woman said.
I rode home with my neighbor who had arranged the day for us. We drove home talking about all the things that we loved about the movie. I enjoyed what my daughter called an “Easter egg” of Hart talking with E.B. White in the bar and giving him the idea to write about a little mouse named Stuart with a “U” not a “W.”
What movies have you been to with great reviews that you didn’t like?
Then the reverse, what movies did other people not like that you enjoyed?
Official trailer of Blue Moon.
Here’s Billie Holiday’s rendition of the song Blue Moon:
