Maestro (2023)
2023
R
130 Minutes
A portrait of Leonard Bernstein's singular charisma and passion for music as he rose to fame as America's first native born, world-renowned conductor, all along following his ambition to compose bo...
User Review
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WHAT I LIKED: The obvious thing to do if you were writing a Leonard Bernstein biopic would have been to focus on his musical career, but Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro,' is all about his marriage to Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).
From their first meeting all the way to parenthood, almost the entire script is made up of scenes between the pair, and even the moments we see them working are written about how their work affects their relationship. Throughout the course of the film, a portrait is thus drawn of two people dazzled by each other's talents, but constrained by Lenny's constant need for stimulation and attention - no matter how much Felicia tries to convince everyone she doesn't mind him working and sleeping around, or how much Lenny convinces himself he doesn't need the love and stability of a marriage.
Writing the film through that lens makes for a surprisingly intimate character study, as we get to understand the pair not for the things that made them famous, but for their personal lives. Both actors then do a great job of bringing their struggles to life, and the beautifully-lit settings they're filmed in make every conversation jump off the screen.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Especially given that some scenes feel like they're wasted repetitions, it seems a shame that the work these great artists produced is given such little attention by the script. In fact, apart from a few unconvincing conducting scenes, music is almost absent from the entire film, and the only tension or wonder comes instead from Cooper's direction. At times it's very adept, but I found some choices rather odd - including the idea of filming the entire first third in the style of a golden-age drama complete with black and white cinematography, 4:3 ratio, and even the rather cartoonish acting and framing.
VERDICT: Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro,' may be missing the music, but because it focuses on Bernstein's marriage to Felicia Montealegre, it's a brilliantly intimate character study.0 member like this review.
