Bradley Cooper hits a soprano artistic note with a stunningly powerful biopic of American musical icon Leonard Bernstein. Maestro chronicles the legendary conductor, composer, teacher, and humanitarian’s extraordinary career alongside his complex marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn. Cooper pulls astonishing triple duty as star, director, and co-writer of a breathtaking journey to greatness. The film’s impressive visuals and thundering score are aided by Oscar-worthy makeup prosthetics that deftly capture a lifetime of aging. But the razzle-dazzle theatrics pale in comparison to the everlasting romance that drives the narrative. A heartbreaking third act lingers with its frank portrayal of devastating loss.
Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) sits at his piano smoking a cigarette. He coughs while struggling to play in front of a rapt reporter and camera crew. Lenny looks at his wrinkled hands before reflecting about his three children. How he wished they’d gotten to know her better. The screen switches to black and white as the aspect ratio shrinks to a classic letterbox format. Young Lenny leaps out of bed with his lover David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer) to answer a ringing phone. His big break has finally happened. The New York Philharmonic’s Bruno Walter has gotten sick. Can Lenny conduct that night’s performance without any rehearsal?
The camera tracks Lenny from an overhead angle as he runs out of his artist’s studio at Carnegie Hall. He skips and jumps with glee before arriving at a balcony. Lenny throws his hands in the air and is instantly conducting with dramatic flair. The violinists bounce to his emphatic movements before roaring applause. Lenny turns around to soak up the adulation. The moment was exactly as he’d imagined.
Bradley Cooper Transforms Into Leonard Bernstein
Netflix
David reads Lenny a glowing review from the front page of the New York Times. The phone rings again with another opportunity. Lenny’s not sure if his talents are meant to score films, but he’ll worry about that later. Let the celebrations continue.
Weeks later, Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) gets off a bus alone. It’s a short walk to a party in the suburbs. She smokes and drinks while enjoying the raucous rager. Shirley Bernstein (Sarah Silverman) introduces her to everyone at the party. Felicia’s attention turns to the vivacious young man playing the piano. Their eyes lock for a brief second. Outside on the porch, Lenny talks excitedly to the beautiful stranger. She smiles when he offers to accompany her on the ride home.
Maestro fires out of a cannon with a blazing start. Lenny and Felicia are already taking the town by storm within minutes. They’re prancing like gazelles on stage in a big dance number with sailor-dressed actors twirling routines from On the Town. But the camera then purposely lingers as Lenny stares at the chiseled body of a handsome dancer. Felicia quickly realizes that lust isn’t focused on her.
Cooper changes tone in a cinematic instant. What was playful and flirtatious becomes dramatic. Lenny’s sexual proclivities were indelible to his character and creative process. Felicia accepts that need as something she cannot change. They begin their life together with an acknowledgment that his queer dalliances were allowed with paramount discretion. It’s an arrangement that would prove to be troublesome as they have children and Lenny’s fame skyrockets.
Related: Leonard Bernstein: Exploring the Important Composer Before Bradley Cooper’s Movie
Maestro’s second act explores the couple’s intimate relationship as they try to shield true feelings from the outside world. Lenny’s voracious sexual appetite was only outmatched by his incredible talent. Music was a spigot that he could never turn off. Lenny spent hours writing in solitude, but then had the boundless energy to conduct and teach. He took great satisfaction in shaping the minds of his treasured students. They, along with everyone else, adored him to a point of quiet irritation. Lenny didn’t see himself as creative or a genius. He loved to please people but grew to be uncomfortable in their fawning praise. These scenes are fascinating to behold. His ego had a limit. He fell into depressive and judgmental states about his perceived worth.
Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre
Netflix
Felicia shared this inner darkness but for different reasons. She eventually became jealous of Lenny’s lovers parade. But it wasn’t embarrassment that fueled her anger and resentment. Felicia adored him with every fiber of her being. She wanted that passion he generously bestowed others. Lenny never viewed her as an afterthought but unconsciously took her importance for granted. This ignorance wasn’t calculated but had the same hurtful effect. Mulligan is sublime as a woman caught in an existential quandary. How can you walk away from someone that defines your happiness?
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Two production aspects rank among the year’s finest. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream, A Star Is Born) and makeup artist Kazu Hiro (Planet of the Apes, Darkest Hour) help Cooper shepherd the film from showcase entertainment to gut-wrenching character development. Maestro is akin to eating a pie that goes from sugary sweet to dense and meaty. Lenny and Felicia’s decades together are seen warts and all. Sex, drugs, and infidelity become a shadow behind the veil of success. But the most impactful moments, in color and widescreen to indicate later years, depict a loving couple together and unbreakable in their most trying times.
Mulligan is damn good here. Tears will flow like rivers. She is the actress to beat this award season. Cooper, already a respected actor, propels himself to Hollywood’s elite tier of directors. It’s astonishing to think he could sit six hours every day for makeup, then film and act in Maestro. Bernstein himself would be proud of his endurance.
The shameful antisemitic accusations against Cooper for his prosthetic nose are absolutely disgusting and without merit. This was done to change his voice to sound and look like Leonard Bernstein. Those who hurl ignorant vitriol should shut their foolish mouths until actually seeing the film.
Maestro is a production of Lea Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Sikelia Productions, and Fred Berner Films. The film was screened as part of the 61st New York Film Festival. Maestro will have a limited theatrical release on November 22nd, followed by a December 20th streaming premiere on Netflix.
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