December 25, 2023 · Watch the official trailer
There’s a lot to like about Bradley Cooper’s follow-up to his 2018 directorial debut “A Star Is Born.”
His latest feature showcases all the characteristics of a filmmaker on the rise with exceptional performances, dazzling cinematography and a methodical, relentless attention to detail that signals an emerging auteur in the making.
And yet, his second film, “Maestro,” an unconventional drama about the life of famed conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein fails to fully succeed as a narrative as the sum of its wonderful parts don’t actually build to anything special.
From the film’s opening minutes, however, it’s clear that Cooper has a passion, almost borderline obsession with Bernstein’s eccentricities and his “Maestro” leaps off the screen with an opening sequence that sets the stage for something much greater than he actually achieves in the remainder of the film.
As a conductor and meticulous musician, Cooper’s Bernstein has a unique gravitas to elevate a moment musically in ways that few before him were capable of and this is clear from Cooper’s reverence to the man in his performance and the bold, distinctive means by which he showcases Bernstein’s immense talents on the podium.
The singular best moments of “Maestro” occur when they are the most musical, heartfelt, and demonstrative and a film that better balances Bernstein’s musical career with his personal life might have more fully captures Cooper’s true intent behind making the film.
The ways in which Cooper draws audiences in with a vintage Hollywood sense of theatrically both in performance and technical elements like cinematography and production design lead viewers towards a more narrowminded, introspective family drama that focuses on a couple whose love for one another is unquestioned, but the ways they interact with the outside world cause an inner tension that relentlessly bubbles underneath the surface.
“Maestro” doesn’t particularly shy away from Bernstein’s affairs with men, but Cooper paints this part of his life with such a broad brush that it’s unclear whether Bernstein’s sexuality was fluid or if his dalliances outside his marriage were a mere formality.
What becomes the core of the film – once audiences parse through a slog of disconnected vignettes – is the relationship Bernstein had with his wife, Felicia, wonderfully portrayed by Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan.
The ways she is able to portray Felicia’s awe of her husband that is slowly drained away until a devastating breaking point completely outshines any other character work in the entire film and though it often feels lost within the larger film, Mulligan leaps off the screen at a moment’s notice with emotional poignancy.
Netflix’s clear choice to campaign for awards considerations this winter, “Maestro” will likely be in line for a number of top awards despite its inconsistencies with a best picture nod and acting nominations for Cooper and Mulligan all but assured. The film’s technical elements should also receive wide acclaim with the masterful sound design perhaps the best shot of a guaranteed win.
A six-minute sequence in the film’s third act where Cooper highlights his dedication to Bernstein’s musical brilliance should lock voters and audiences alike in with a recreation of Bernstein’s conducting Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony.
Cooper and cinematographer Matthew Libatique transport audiences to a different place in time with some scenes feeling like they were straight out of “Sunset Boulevard” with brilliantly stoic black-and-white imagery and the Mahler performance borders on documentary with just how lifelike and present audiences feel over the course of one song.
It’s moments like this and a magnetic early sequence where Bernstein gets notified that he is to conduct in New York for the first time on short notice that truly reflect the potential of Cooper as a powerhouse filmmaker.
A truly difficult watch due to its length and uneven narrative, “Maestro” steadies itself on standout lead performances, exceptional craft work and flashes of cinematic brilliance that make Cooper’s second drama something cinephiles should consider for a home viewing.
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