This review is part of our coverage of the 2023 New York Film Festival.
The Pitch: What makes a Maestro tick? Bradley Cooper’s second film as director, in which he also stars as the titular “maestro” Leonard Bernstein, attempts to understand the genius mind of one of the world’s most celebrated conductors, and how his struggles with his personal identity and relationship with wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) affected both his mind and heart.
Produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, among others, Maestro follows Bernstein’s life from when he is called on at the last minute to make his New York Philharmonic conducting debut (without a rehearsal!) to the peak of his career: composing the music to West Side Story, leading American symphony orchestras, writing the scores to feature films, and beyond. It is as much a celebration of his work and life of Bernstein as it is an emotional foray into his life away from the podium.
Bradley Cooper, You Will Never Be Lydia Tar: Cooper was in attendance for the film’s premiere at New York Film Festival, where the production crew and creative consultants, as well as Bernstein’s three children, were introduced (Cooper did not participate in the post-show Q&A or take the stage in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA). This was apt, as Maestro at times feels more like a love letter dedicated to the Bernstein children themselves than a film about their celebrated father.
Cooper loves Hollywood, and he also loves music, going to great lengths to study musicianship and train in the art of composing. There will no doubt be several comparisons to Todd Field’s acclaimed Tár, also about a (fictional) world-famous conductor, but what made Tár such a masterpiece was its devastating portrayal of an astonishing talent’s falling star. Meanwhile, the emotional core of Maestro is not Bernstein’s love for and devotion to music, but instead his relationship with his wife and the repercussions of it.
We do see occasional glimpses of Cooper’s Bernstein in full conducting action, and it is in these scenes that Cooper’s natural dynamism and magnetism shine through. But the film is so intent on having the audience be invested in the romantic dynamic that it is visually jarring. It is also a shame that for a biopic about a musical maestro, only a small part of the film actually explores his love for music; Bernstein’s connection to his music plays second fiddle to that of his relationships with other people.
Maestro (Netflix)
A Little Bit In Love: The first half of the film is meandering and slightly dull — the opposite of Bernstein as a person — and while the cinematography is, admittedly, visually striking, the film only really kicks into gear in the second half. Bernstein and Montealegre’s early romantic years are rendered in black and white, with both Cooper and Mulligan so digitally de-aged that it can be distracting.
Overall, Cooper’s own handsomeness, charisma, and charm clearly shine when he is portraying Bernstein, but his devotion to playing Bernstein includes adopting a large prosthetic nose that has resulted in accusations of “Jewface” backlash. The Bernstein family stated that they had no problem with Cooper donning the nose, even saying that their father would have been fine with it. However, the nose — which looks borderline comedic and gag-gift at times — exacerbates the almost too-serious portrayal of Bernstein and Montealegre’s young love, which the film seems to think is the connection that most shapes Bernstein into the artist he is.
There is one memorable scene where Cooper’s Bernstein is shown conducting a lengthy performance, a powerful moment that inspired the entire audience at the premiere to break into applause. If only these moments were balanced with the overtly auteur feel the film evokes. Cooper loves Hollywood, but perhaps a bit too much.
The Carey Show: Because Cooper decides to make Bernstein’s marriage the focus point of Maestro, it is Mulligan’s performance as his estranged wife that serves as the emotional core of the movie, and she emerges as the film’s most sympathetic character.
On-screen, Bernstein struggles with his sexual identity and various infidelities throughout his marriage; the consequences of his many flaws and lies, however, are only shown through the ways in which they directly affect his family, mostly Montealegre: how lonely he makes Montealegre feel, how he misses Thanksgiving dinner with his young children, how rumors of his affairs affect his relationship with his oldest daughter (Maya Hawke).
Cooper also decides to skim past some crucial interiorities of Bernstein, and he never goes very in-depth into Bernstein’s sexual identity and Jewishness (this is another reason why the prosthetic nose is so jarring). From the get-go, it is not immediately apparent how Cooper wants to portray Bernstein: the clearest understanding we have of him is when he interacts with Montealegre. It’s fine, and a relatively safe approach, but it, incredibly, makes Bernstein not the most interesting character to watch in the film.
Maestro (Netflix)
This, then, allows Mulligan to win the emotional sympathies of the audience with masterful work that outshines Cooper’s — Cooper is a fine actor, but Mulligan is able to deliver a crushing and devastating performance, due to her anchoring the film’s emotional stakes. Bernstein is in no way portrayed negatively, but deciding to make the romantic relationship the crux of Maestro has enabled the audience, towards the end, to become more emotionally invested in Montealegre than they are with Bernstein.
The Verdict: Maestro’s New York Film Festival premiere was held at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic (where Bernstein and the Philharmonic performed the inaugural concert in 1962). After the screening, Bernstein’s three children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina, participated in a Q&A, with Jamie Bernstein noting that it almost felt like Cooper eventually became a father-like figure to the three children, due to his devotion to the film, his open-mindedness, and tenderness. “What Bradley did for this team… we became connected through love, and became a family. We’re all part of the same family now,” she said.
The handful of scenes in which Bernstein does speak of his craft are engaging; the film depicts him as well-loved as both a professional and a man, a charming teacher to his students; his charisma and confidence are hypnotic. Unfortunately, it’s unclear what Cooper is really keen to communicate with this portrayal.
There is definitely an emotional element to this film, reinforced by the Bernstein childrens’ dedication to their late father and their commitment to making sure his story was told the way they wanted, hopefully giving them some sense of closure through artistic means. It’s just a shame that Cooper’s on-screen Maestro lacks an emotional arc beyond his marriage — or a stronger sense of why this great man was truly so great.
Where to Watch: Following its New York Film Festival premiere, Maestro will get a limited theatrical release on November 22nd, followed by its Netflix premiere on December 20th.
Trailer:
