2025 * R * 1h 40m If you enjoy dialogue-driven films that feature snappy repartee that you have to pay close attention to or you'll miss something, this is a movie for you! It could easily have been a stage play, but n reality it was based on the correspondence between Lorenz Hart and Elizabeth Weiland.
Before seeing the wonderful biopic, I only had a vague notion about Lorenz Hart. He was the first songwriting partner of Richard Rogers, who later worked with Oscar Hammerstein, to write some of the most iconic musicals of all time. The film opens up with Hart (Ethan Hawke) falling down drunk in an alley. We then cut back several months and meet up with him in the famous nightclub Sardi's in NYC. He's having a heart-to-heart with the bartender Eddie ( Bobby Cannavale). I'm not sure how they did it, but they managed to make Hawke 5' tall and about 30 years older than he is in real life. An amazing transformation, to say the least.
It's Opening Night for the musical "Oklahoma!" and that's the backdrop for the film. Hart lets off one great zinger after another. We also meet Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), who he absolutely adores. After a bit, Richard Rogers (Andrew Scott) and Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) arrive with their entire entourage. While all this is transpiring, you can tell Hart is rather jealous that his old partner is now working with Oscar Hammerstein. The two promise to work on some projects in the very near future, although you sense that that's probably not going to happen.
What a great little film. I thought Hawke's performance was nothing short of brilliant. And the movie hooked me in right from the start. I think this is one that, while a bit depressing, is worth watching a second time just to catch some of the banter I missed.
4 out of 5 stars
Streaming on Netflix and to rent on Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Fandango, and other streaming services.
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