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Parting ways from the more prominent partner in a entertainment double act is a hazardous business. Larry David experienced it. The same for Musician Andrew Ridgeley. Now, this clever and profoundly melancholic chamber piece from writer the writer Robert Kaplow and helmer Richard Linklater recounts the all but unbearable story of musical theater lyricist the lyricist Lorenz Hart just after his separation from composer Richard Rodgers. His role is portrayed with flamboyant genius, an unspeakable combover and simulated diminutiveness by actor Ethan Hawke, who is regularly digitally shrunk in stature – but is also occasionally filmed positioned in an hidden depression to look up poignantly at more statuesque figures, facing the lyricist's stature problem as José Ferrer once played the diminutive Toulouse-Lautrec.

Complex Character and Themes

Hawke achieves big, world-weary laughs with Hart's humorous takes on the concealed homosexuality of the movie Casablanca and the overly optimistic stage show he recently attended, with all the lasso-twirling cowboys; he bitingly labels it Okla-queer. The sexuality of Lorenz Hart is complicated: this picture skillfully juxtaposes his queer identity with the straight persona invented for him in the 1948 stage show the production Words and Music (with actor Mickey Rooney acting as Lorenz Hart); it cleverly extrapolates a kind of bisexuality from the lyricist's writings to his protege: college student at Yale and aspiring set designer Weiland, acted in this movie with carefree youthful femininity by actress Margaret Qualley.

As a component of the legendary Broadway songwriting team with the composer Rodgers, Lorenz Hart was in charge of matchless numbers like the classic The Lady Is a Tramp, the tune Manhattan, My Funny Valentine and of course the titular Blue Moon. But annoyed at Hart's drinking problem, undependability and melancholic episodes, Rodgers broke with him and partnered with Oscar Hammerstein II to create the musical Oklahoma! and then a multitude of stage and screen smashes.

Emotional Depth

The film conceives the profoundly saddened Hart in the show Oklahoma!'s opening night Manhattan spectators in 1943, gazing with envious despair as the show proceeds, despising its mild sappiness, hating the punctuation mark at the end of the title, but soul-crushingly cognizant of how devastatingly successful it is. He knows a hit when he sees one – and senses himself falling into unsuccessfulness.

Before the interval, Hart unhappily departs and heads to the pub at the establishment Sardi's where the remainder of the movie unfolds, and anticipates the (unavoidably) successful Oklahoma! company to arrive for their after-party. He knows it is his showbiz duty to compliment Rodgers, to pretend things are fine. With polished control, actor Andrew Scott plays Richard Rodgers, obviously uncomfortable at what both are aware is the lyricist's shame; he gives a pacifier to his self-esteem in the appearance of a brief assignment creating additional tunes for their ongoing performance the musical A Connecticut Yankee, which only makes it worse.

• Actor Bobby Cannavale acts as the bartender who in traditional style listens sympathetically to Hart's monologues of bitter despondency
• The thespian Patrick Kennedy acts as EB White, to whom Lorenz Hart inadvertently provides the idea for his youth literature the novel Stuart Little
• Margaret Qualley plays Elizabeth Weiland, the impossibly gorgeous Ivy League pupil with whom the picture conceives Lorenz Hart to be complexly and self-destructively in love

Hart has already been jilted by Rodgers. Undoubtedly the universe can’t be so cruel as to cause him to be spurned by Elizabeth Weiland as well? But Qualley mercilessly depicts a youthful female who desires Hart to be the laughing, platonic friend to whom she can disclose her experiences with boys – as well of course the showbiz connection who can advance her profession.

Standout Roles

Hawke demonstrates that Hart to a degree enjoys observational satisfaction in hearing about these boys but he is also genuinely, tragically besotted with Elizabeth Weiland and the film reveals to us an aspect rarely touched on in pictures about the realm of stage musicals or the cinema: the dreadful intersection between professional and romantic failure. However at one stage, Hart is rebelliously conscious that what he has accomplished will endure. It’s a terrific performance from Hawke. This may turn into a theater production – but who shall compose the songs?

The movie Blue Moon screened at the London movie festival; it is out on 17 October in the USA, November 14 in the UK and on January 29 in the land down under.