Bradley Cooper has already displayed his talents as both an actor and voice-over talent with his various contributions to cinema. In addition, Cooper has also proven that he is a competent and skilled filmmaker with his acclaimed remake of A Star is Born. Cooper’s newest passion project is a biographical movie about the career and personal life of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. In Maestro, Cooper handles the direction and writing and stars in the title role. The result is a thoroughly engaging film that not only showcases Bernstein’s passion for his art but also reveals his struggles to maintain a relationship deemed more traditional in the eyes of his public.
The film follows Leonard Bernsteins’s life and career between 1943 and 1973, from his humble beginnings as a conductor and composer who would eventually impact the world of classical music and musical scores for theater and cinema. The movie reveals that “Lenny” lived his life mainly as a bisexual man, engaging in relationships both with men and women; however, he seems to lean more toward relations with men. Though he courts and marries actor Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan, with whom he had three children, he would often continue to have sexual relations with other men.
Bradley Cooper delivers a fascinating character study with Maestro focusing on Bernstein’s complicated life. While it celebrates and acknowledges his significant contributions to music, it also recognizes his weaknesses and inability to remain in a more traditional and publicly accepted lifestyle during his career. The gorgeous cinematography by Matthew Libatique beautifully captures Cooper’s vision for his movie. The film is presented in black and white and in vivid color to reflect the different eras of cinema in which Bernstein existed.
The movie is more about capturing the intimate moments of Bernstein and his family’s life and problems. For anyone looking for a more comprehensive biopic, Maestro fails to deliver in that regard. Cooper intends to reveal the behind-the-scenes moments, with the camera as a fly on the wall, allowing the audience to eavesdrop on his more private moments.
Bradley Cooper impressed me not only with his skills behind the camera but also with his talent as an actor. Cooper immerses himself into the role with much enthusiasm, passion, and reckless abandon. He also perfectly shows the artist’s more vulnerable side when presenting his life to the public with some semblance of normalcy. Though not an actual Latina like the real Felicia Montealegre, Carey Mulligan is nevertheless commendable with her performance as the spouse of a troubled and complicated artist. The movie also features solid performances by Sarah Silverman, Matt Borner, and Maya Hawke.
Maestro is currently available for viewing in theaters and now streaming on Netflix. As I could screen it theatrically, I strongly recommend that people see it that way to behold what a talented filmmaker and actor Bradley Cooper is.