Film Review: "Maestro" (2023).

From the director of A Star Is Born comes Maestro. This biographical drama film directed by Bradley Cooper, and written by Cooper and Josh Singer. This fearless love story chronicles the complicated lifelong relationship between music legend Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

The project had been in development at Paramount Pictures, with Martin Scorsese initially attached to direct. However, he stepped down as director to work on The Irishman (2019). Steven Spielberg was also initially attached to direct the film and had approached Cooper to star, but offered the director position to Cooper after a screening of A Star Is Born (2018). Ultimately, in May 2018, Cooper was attached as director and to star as Bernstein. Cooper admitted that one of the challenges in playing Bernstein was that so much footage of him conducting exists, and he couldn't possibly replicate his talent. Cooper therefore focused on a single performance, Mahler's second symphony, which he spent years learning how to conduct convincingly as Bernstein. In January 2020, the project was moved to Netflix, with filming expected to begin in 2021. In September, the project was given the title Maestro with Carey Mulligan joining the cast. It was also announced that filming would begin in the spring of 2021. By late May 2021, Matt Bomer, Michael Urie, Sarah Silverman, and Maya Hawke rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late October. Filming took place in New York City; Fairfield, Connecticut; and Tanglewood, Massachusetts. Filming was initially expected to begin in early April 2021.

An endearing film with two impeccable performances from Cooper and Mulligan. Cooper extends his career into a new field with his dramatic work and Mulligan, who rivals him in both presence and raw talent, is a joy to watch. It's not easy to capture performances this raw, nor to conduct pieces such as Mahler's Symphony No. 2.  Cooper does it all to an impressive degree. Mulligan’s mere presence in the film allows Cooper a wide berth to go big with scenes and moments that play with and embrace camp. Mulligan’s performances always sizzle. Her bond with the audience is palpable and her joy in entertaining is apparent in every note.

While the story of the film may be familiar, there are enough good choices from Cooper to make his musical biopic of Bernstein feel fresh. There are moments where the pace can stop dead in its tracks. Other than that, this film is amazing and filled with an emotional story, fantastic performances, and wonderful music. For moments there, you're reminded what the power of this medium can be; the beautiful meshing of what we see and what we hear into a cataclysm of what we feel. Despite the film treading familiar ground in terms of its storytelling and having some underutilized talent, it still proves to be effective. The film is a tour de force sophomore effort that channels Cooper's off-screen struggles with his artistry that vibes deeply personal and painfully honest.

Simon says Maestro receives:

Also, see my review for A Star Is Born.