Variety is reporting that Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” has “brought the house down” at the Berlin Film Festival, and that it’s “the first big and buzzy film” to have screened at the fest, so far.
In reality, reviews for “Blue Moon” are so far positive, albeit not glowing. Sounds like another small-scaled gem from Linklater. It’s a slight notch below the acclaimed, current Golden Bear front runner, Gabriel Mascaro’s “The Blue Trail” received on Sunday.
Here’s a sampling of the reviews:
Variety, THR, IndieWire (B+), The Wrap, Screen, Slant (3/4), Independent (3/5), The Times (3/5), Next Best Picture (7/10), IONCINEMA (4/5)
“Blue Moon” sits at 91% on RT with a 6.8 average score. I’m hearing the film is eyeing a May 2025 theatrical release via Sony Pictures Classics. Hawke is getting very good ink from critics, and some are even calling it the best performance of his career.
“Blue Moon,” which comes to us via Sony Pictures Classics, has a cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott and Bobby Cannavale. Robert Kaplow, who co-wrote Linklater’s underrated “Me and Orson Welles,” penned the screenplay.
“Blue Moon” is said to tackle the songwriting team of Rodgers & Hart. The film is set primarily in Sardi’s Restaurant on March 31, 1943, the opening night of their musical “Oklahoma!”, which marked Rodgers’s first collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein II as Hart’s replacement.
It should be noted that Linklater actually has two films being released this year, the other one, “Nouvelle Vague,” was submitted for this coming May’s Cannes Film Festival.