Blue Moon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Blue Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Lots of words and a little music.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 6, 2026

Earning well-deserved Oscar nominations for Best Actor (Ethan Hawke) and Best Original Screenplay (Robert Kaplow), Richard Linklater's Blue Moon is an insular but revealing drama that casts a unique spell with little more than dialogue and clever in-camera effects. We're transported back to New York City circa 1943, on the rainy November night when celebrated lyricist Lorenz Hart (Hawke), one-half of an estranged songwriting team with composer Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), collapses in a back alley and dies four days later. Rewinding to the night of March 31 that same year, Blue Moon unfolds on a particularly turbulent evening when Rodgers and new creative partner Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney) celebrate the opening of their new musical Oklahoma! at an upscale restaurant.

After ducking out of Oklahoma!'s premiere early due to his lack of interest in its "sentimental", "unrealistic" story and songs, Lorenz arrives at Sardi's restaurant ahead of Rodgers, Hammerstein, and their family and friends, who will soon crowd the cozy establishment as they await the first round of glowing reviews. For now, the restaurant is mostly quiet as Lorenz regales bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) with stories about his career and interest in men and women, including 20 year-old Yale student Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), who he's desperately in love with and will be joining them shortly. Also present are enlisted Army sergeant Morty Rifkin (Jonah Lees), who's playing piano for the evening, as well as a delivery boy (Giles Surridge), who Lorenz flirts with before inviting to a lavish soirée taking place at his home later that evening. Other customers are revealed gradually, including writer E. B. White (Patrick Kennedy), who's working on his first children's book and waxes philosophical with the admiring lyricist.

Inevitably, Richard and company arrive and the once-confident Lorenz, who earlier controlled the room, is no longer its focus. So begins the rest of Blue Moon, which bounces between the lyricist's bristly interactions with his former partner, feigned enthusiasm for he and Hammerstein's new show and career path, an ultimately agonizing reunion with lovely Elizabeth -- who is roughly half his age -- and other greatest hits. Yet despite the occasionally desperate and crude actions of its main character (who thankfully gets to regain a bit of dignity before the credits roll), Blue Moon remains respectful of Lorenz's legacy and well-earned pride in his own work... which was at least partially overshadowed by a lack of self-control, whether that applies to his social filter or inability to stay away from alcohol.

Wonderfully penned by author/comedian Robert Kaplow (best known for his 2003 historical fiction book Me and Orson Welles, which later also became a Richard Linklater film) and based on real letters between Elizabeth and Lorenz, Blue Moon is confident in its intimate presentation, which rarely leaves the restaurant and features several long takes and unbroken conversations. It's packed with solid performances from top to bottom; especially Hawke, who embodies his character's personality and looks the part too, thanks to creative in-camera effects that give the illusion he's a man less than five feet tall. A number of light historical tidbits are also sprinkled throughout as well, from a story told by Lorenz that ultimately becomes the basis for E.B. White's Stuart Little to cameo appearances by younger, pre-fame versions of future director George Roy Hill (David Rawle) and composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim (Cillian Sullivan).

While the end result may not be for all tastes due to its relaxed pace and heavy dialogue (which is admittedly a bit drawn out during the first 30 minutes), Blue Moon is an effective dramatic experiment that deserved a wider audience than it ultimately got last October. Sony brings it to home video on MOD (pressed) Blu-ray and, while there are a few sacrifices made here, it'll still please fans and newcomers who would rather own a copy than stream it.

Blue Moon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Delivered to theaters with a 4K digital intermediate, Blue Moon arrives on Blu-ray with an inevitably downscaled but still largely solid 1080p/SDR transfer that shows off its understated but attractive cinematography. All but three scenes take place within the confines of its central restaurant, a warm and inviting location with polished wooden furniture, crimson red draperies, deep green plants, and soft incandescent lights. Well-lit and cozy during the bulk of its duration, Blue Moon offers the kind of understated but rich atmosphere that you don't mind sticking around in for awhile. Fine detail and textures are strong in ideal lighting conditions, colors are nicely represented, and blacks are mostly good -- there are questionable levels of crush and other mushy anomalies in a few portions of its darkest areas, despite this 100-minute film essentially getting a dual-layered disc to itself and running at what should be a supportive enough bit rate. It's far from disappointing when other prevailing strengths are considered, but I'm willing to bet that stronger encoding and a true 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision presentation would yield noticeably superior results.

Blue Moon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio offers a presentation that gets the job done, as Blue Moon's largely undemanding soundscape is dominated by normal-volume conversations, occasional raised voices, and a few hushed whispers while diegetic piano music is performed softly in the background. There are exceptions but these are few and far between, which means that surround use is generally light and appears exactly when and where you'd expect, from the opening excerpt of Oklahoma!'s premiere to more crowded conversations that take place during the film's second half. While this lossless 5.1 presentation likewise isn't disappointing in the least, I'm curious if this is its original mix: it's listed on the not-always-reliable IMDb as Dolby Atmos, but no such logo appears during the end credits.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature only.

Blue Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc MOD (pressed) release ships in a keepcase with poster themed art and the bare minimum of extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:16) - This promotional piece can also be seen here.

Blue Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Richard Linklater's Blue Moon is an effective drama about an interesting historical subject: lyricist Lorenz Hart, who's wonderfully portrayed by Ethan Hawke alongside a very good cast from top to bottom. It's certainly a little indulgent in spots but still captivating on the whole, and both of its recent Academy Award nominations were well-earned. Sony's MOD (pressed) Blu-ray sadly isn't a definitive effort, though: slightly better encoding or a 4K option would have yielded stronger visuals and the lack of extras is, as always, disappointing. That said, it's still a pretty decent movie-only disc, albeit one that won't necessarily appeal to a wide audience. Recommended to the right crowd.