Maestro follows legendary composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein’s life and career, as well as his lifelong complicated relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. The film is available to stream on Netflix.
Story
In the 1940s, assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein had his big debut when the conductor fell ill and he had to substitute for him.
At a party one day, he meets Broadway performer Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. The two start dating, but before her, Leonard was in a homosexual relationship.
Years down the line, they get married and have three kids together. A decade later the two lead lavish lives and are known figures. However, he’s become jaded and she persists with the difficulty his burnout has brought about.
Meanwhile, he keeps having affairs with men and as years pass, she becomes disenchanted with the life she is living. During one Thanksgiving, she lashes out at him about his continued inability to accept himself and in turn, causing his loved ones grief.
The two separate until one great performance in England, that she attends, brings them together. He returns to the home and sticks with her after she’s diagnosed with lung cancer, until her death.
After her passing, he and his children leave their home, and years later, Leonard reminisces about her in an interview, as he keeps teaching and having affairs with younger men.
Performances
Bradley Cooper has given his all and it’s obvious how his commitment to the role is so personal for him. There’s a theatrical quality to his perfomance but it is also really authentic.
Carey Mulligan breaks hearts as Felicia, she charms as well, and does so much in total with perfomance that sometimes even outshines Cooper.
Maya Hawke and Matt Bomer are great and lend significatly to the story with their solid supporting characters.
Positives
Maestro is great to look at. It’s masterfully shot and the different eras being shot with different formats are all great to take one’s time savoring.
The perfomances are what make this story worth sticking around for as well. Mulligan and Cooper have essayed emotions brilliantly on screen.
Negatives
The film fails to do much in terms evoking something greater out of the audience. It is a good enough account of Bernstein’s life but that’s just what it is.
In terms of deeper themes or a more challenging narrative, one won’t find any here. It’s a neat-looking recapitulation of Bernstein’s life and that’s it.
Verdict
Maestro features a beautiful and striking series of a pictures that go through the pages of Bernstein’s life, but do so in a rather unremarkable and forgettable manner that does injustice to the better parts of the storytelling.
Maestro
Director: Bradley Cooper
Date Created: 2023-12-18 13:30
2.5
Also Read: Maestro ending explained: Do Leonard and Felicia split up?