January 6, 2026 – Famed lyricist Lorenz Hart (played by Ethan Hawke of “First Reformed”) holds forth in a New York bar with alcoholic charm and wit, despite his frustrations with the enormous success of the hit musical, “Oklahoma.”

Hart is mad because his former songwriting partner, Richard Rodgers (played by Andrew Scott of “All of Us Strangers”) has abandoned him for a new lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney of “The Conjuring 2”). Despite assurances from Rodgers and Hammerstein, he feels his legendary career is slipping away from him.

Against his doctor's advice, he drinks and smokes as he fumes and fusses with his situation. Bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale of “Blue Jasmine”) and G.I. piano player Morty Rifkin (Jonah Lees of “Superman”) and others at the bar in Sardi's restaurant, including renowned writer E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy of “War Horse.”) all join in the conversation.

Hart waxes poetic about a woman he loves, college student Elizabeth Weiland (played by Margaret Qualley of “The Substance”). He is more than twice her age, but he appears quite smitten. There are hints in the movie that Hart may be a homosexual, or at least bisexual, but there is no doubt about his ardor the the beautiful young Elizabeth Weiland.

Hart leaves the opening night of Oklahoma early and heads to Sardi's, where he banters with E.B. White, Eddie and Morty about his frustrations with the new play. He is positive that Oklahoma will be a massive hit, but he considers it unsophisticated, lowbrow entertainment, unworthy of Rodgers (played by Andrew Scott of “All of Us Strangers.” He repeatedly runs it down.

When the post-opening night party comes to Sardi's however, he tells the people in the bar, “Now, time for the real performance of the evening,” and he proceeds to tell Rodgers and Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) how great Oklahoma is. What Hart, Weiland and Morty Rifkin really want is to hitch their show business wagons to the enormously successful Richard Rodgers.

Rodgers tells Hart during the party that he wants to work with Hart again on a revival of “A Connecticut Yankee.” Hart is open to the idea, but what he really wants to do is work on a new play about Marco Polo. Hart and Rodgers discuss some ideas, and it becomes clear why they split up in the first place. Hart wants to do sophisticated plays with biting satire, and Rodgers is more interested in commercial, inoffensive projects appealing to a wider audience. Hart says, “But really, who wants inoffensive art?”

The real drama of the evening, however, happens between Hart and Weiland, who get together privately for an intimate conversation about Weiland's sex life. She confesses about a crush she has on a young man named Cooper, who has not treated her well, but she would still go back to him if he called her up. Hart is determined to find out if Weiland loves him the same way she loves Cooper.

Things don't go as well for Hart as he had hoped, either in the romantic or career fronts. He has more drinks and starts to head home after Rodgers and Weiland leave, but when Morty starts playing Blue Moon on the piano, and everyone at the bar starts singing the lyrics that Hart wrote, he turns around and heads back to the bar and has another drink with Eddie. He begins to tell the story again about how Blue Moon originally had a different title.

This is not the end for Hart. The movie opens with Hart's death, but that happens several years after the events at Sardi's on the evening of the debut of Oklahoma. This movie is more about the relationships between Hart, Rodgers and Weiland. Written by Robert Kaplow, it is based, in part, on letters written by Hart and Weiland. The film is directed by award-winning director Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”). In addition to the other famous people depicted in the film, there is an appearance by a very young Steven Sondheim (played by Cillian Sullivan of “Spilt Milk”).

This is a movie that is carried mainly by the masterful performance of Ethan Hawke. In fact, it is almost a one man show, but with good supporting performances by Bobby Cannavale, Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott, Patrick Kennedy and Jonah Lees. This movie rates a B+.

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