Directed by Richard Linklater
U.S. | 2025 | Fiction | 100 min | English
Sponsored by Barbara McGrew
Thursday, October 23 | 7:15 PM | FH
It’s the triumphant opening night of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, and in the bar next door, Richard Rodgers’ old partner Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) is talking and drinking (not in that order), his verbal wizardry just barely concealing his consuming desperation. Holding court with a bartender (Bobby Cannavale) and a pianist, Hart happily offers his withering assessment of the show he calls “Oklahoma, exclamation point.” Once the after-party arrives, Hart’s rapier wit and dubious sincerity keep everyone uncomfortable, including Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and the current object of Hart’s affections, the 18-year-old Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley). Directed by Richard Linklakter (Boyhood, Dazed and Confused), this slice of chamber-cinema is elevated by Robert Kaplow’s witty, literary script, its creative use of the single set, and most especially, a bravura performance from Hawke, who’s never been better. Scott goes toe-to-toe with a performance that earned him the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at the Berlin Film Festival. ~SM