Movie review
October 17, 2025 · 100 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Blue Moon is a 2025 historical drama that takes place during a single night in 1943 at Sardi's restaurant. The film follows legendary Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart as he drinks and struggles with his fading career while his former partner Richard Rodgers celebrates a new hit. The story prominently highlights Hart's struggles as a closeted gay man, including scenes where he flirts with men and discusses his sexuality. These themes are highly visible throughout the movie.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Blue Moon.
Woke representation / casting
The movie casts an openly gay actor, Andrew Scott, to play the straight composer Richard Rodgers. A straight actor, Ethan Hawke, plays the gay lyricist Lorenz Hart. The movie highlights Hart's sexuality as a key part of the casting. However, there are no forced modern diversity quotas. The cast fits the historical setting of 1943 New York theater.
Woke political dialogue
The movie mostly avoids preachy political speeches. But the characters do use some modern terms. For example, Lorenz Hart calls himself "omnisexual" in public. This puts a modern activist word into a 1943 setting.
Identity-driven story themes
Hart's life as a closeted gay man and his loneliness are central to the movie. The story shows his unrequited desires and his struggle in a less-accepting era. These LGBTQ+ themes are front and center, not just in the background.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The movie shows the sad, secret lifestyle that gay people had to live in 1943. However, it treats this as a personal tragedy. It does not turn into a loud, modern attack on traditional Western culture, marriage, or social rules.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
The real Lorenz Hart was a closeted gay man, so showing his sexuality is true to history. However, the film is an "imagined" evening. It changes historical events for drama and uses modern words like "omnisexual" that he would not have said back then.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some small online review sites and viewers warned that the movie focuses heavily on gay themes. They noted the use of modern terms. There was no big mainstream backlash or boycott, and most people focused on the acting.
Creator track record context
The main creators, Richard Linklater and Robert Kaplow, have very low woke scores. They focus on traditional, character-driven films. A few producers have mild progressive ties, which keeps the total score low.
