Maestro review
If there’s any Oscar-bait note that Maestro misses it’s not from lack of trying. Bradley Cooper meticulously and shrewdly arranges this film based on the life of acclaimed composer Leonard Bernstein seemingly with the goal of collecting as much award hardware en route to the Oscars as possible.
As an informative biopic that educates as well as entertains audiences, Maestro is flat. Those who watch the film with little knowledge of Bernstein’s impact aren’t going to learn much from the film. The film’s Cliff Notes summary of Bernstein’s life is he was a conductor/composer who was ready for his big break and was bisexual, which put significant strain on his marriage.
Cooper, the director and co-screenwriter, offers Cooper — the actor a juicy, award-magnet showcase. Only problem is the script doesn’t do enough to close what could have been an easy Oscar lock.
On one hand, credit Cooper and co-screenwriter Josh Singer for breaking up the standard biopic origin approach. Rushing to the meat of their story, however, would likely make invested viewers start reaching for their phone/tablets to fill in the many narrative gaps.
At its heart, Cooper and Singer’s script is about love and its various forms and interpretations. Leonard loves music. Presumably he loves the feeling of control, of dictating the tempo and flow of the orchestra. And if he’s got some measure in how his relationships go? All the better. The latter is heavily implied but not explicitly stated.
Leonard doesn’t mind being the center of attention either and is loud, boisterous and in all ways the life of the party. There’s not enough time spent on Bernstein’s need to be around people to the point he won’t even close the bathroom door when he’s using it. There is some disconnect there since he clearly seems close with his sister, Shirley (Sarah Silverman), a constant presence in his life.
At one of Shirley’s parties, Leonard meets Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan, The Great Gatsby), an up-and-coming actress. Immediately captivated, Leonard ditches his boyfriend, David (Matt Bomer), and eventually marries her.
This is where Maestro nestles into the bosom of same old, same old biopic territory. Leonard is riding a wave of success with his career expanding into scores for iconic productions like West Side Story yet struggles to remain faithful when a dude catches his eye. A huge swath of Bernstein’s career is glossed over so quick it’s hard to appreciate the magnitude of his rise.
Instead, Cooper spends more time on the inevitable fall. Leonard can’t keep it in his pants and Felicia is growing increasingly tired of ignoring his dalliances. This becomes even more challenging as their daughter, Jamie (Maya Hawke, Stranger Things), starts hearing rumors about her father’s sexual orientation.
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Cooper clearly wants to deliver a strong performance, but it’s too showy and calculated. It feels less like Cooper getting lost in Bernstein and more him carefully considering how every line reading, exaggerated expression and movement can elicit more award attention. He’s going to get those nominations simply from sticking with the Oscar playbook. There’s been worse performances to be recognized with the Oscar as well as the nomination.
Mulligan is superb. Her heartfelt and emotional performance is akin to an epic five-course meal with an unforgettable dessert. Mulligan is the star shining brightest in Maestro. Some of that might be due to her balancing Cooper out with a more measured, less showy performance. Of the expected nominees, Mulligan should be the frontrunner.
Maestro looks spectacular. Cooper deftly juggles big, majestic sweeping shots over concert halls and tight, crowded house parties. The concert scenes are also majestically done capturing the intensity of Bernstein in the eye of the tornado as he’s conducting. Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is captivating with the transitions from the black and white period to color grading as the story spans various decades is masterfully done.
In the film’s standout scene, Felecia and Leonard are talking in a loft while the family awaits the Thanksgiving Parade floats. Cooper nails the dichotomy of this moment and it is one of the best scenes of any film this year. It’s just the shortage of those raw, well-earned emotional moments that holds Maestro back.
Maestro is an odd film. It’s easy to appreciate the elements that work — Mulligan’s performance, the score and Cooper’s directorial eye for the big grandiose moments — but too much is still kept at a distance to fully love this ode to love in all its forms.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
Photo Credit: Netflix