A One Mann’s Movies review of “Maestro” (2023).
I’m pleased to announce that “Maestro” does NOT feature a flamboyance of flamingoes (see introduction to “Leave The World Behind“)! So I don’t feel obliged to wear sack-cloth and join a monastery just yet!
I can well see why this one is getting awards attention. It is very clever. But – sigh – it never really connected with me as a movie. So while it’s techically a 4* movie, my rating is….
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) is a deputy conductor for the New York Philharmonic. He gets a call that his boss is sick and he has to conduct at Carnegie Hall. And so his rise to stardom begins. Joining him on the journey is his beloved Felicia. But Bernstein’s proclivities for relationships with young male admirers puts a continual strain on their relationship.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong language, brief drug misuse”).
Talent:
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Sarah Silverman.
Directed by: Bradley Cooper.
Written by: Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer.
Twitter Handle: #MaestroFilm_ .
Running Time: 2h 9m.
Conducting himself well Bradley Cooper learns a new craft. (Source: Netflix).
“Maestro” Review:
Positives:
- It’s no surprise that both Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan have been nominated this week for Golden Globe awards. The performances as Mr and Mrs Bernstein are fantastic.
- Cooper’s Bernstein progresses from the blue-eyed youth to the rugged old man (great hair and make-up here). (It’s bloody amazing he lived as long as he did, given that in virtually EVERY scene in the movie he has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth!) I’m no expert in conducting, but the time and effort he put in to learning the craft is clearly evident in the brilliant section where he conducts a piece in a cathedral.
- Probably out-acting Cooper though for me is Carey Mulligan. She shimmers onto the screen (in crisp black and white) like some siren of the Golden Age of Hollywood. How she manages to keep acting while Bernstein blows smoke directly into her face I will never know. But it’s her story arc that provides her scope to really show what she is made of. Just superb.
- You can see why Bradley Cooper is nominated for Best Director at the Globes as well. The way in which the scenes transition from inside to outside or from one scene to another is very clever indeed. Colour and screen format is also cleverly used. A tour de force for direction and cinematography (Matthew Libatique).
Negatives:
- So many techical positives. So why only 3 stars? It just didn’t really ‘connect’ with me as a movie. I thought it was all very clever…. but I found myself glancing at my watch towards the end. The illustrious Mrs Movie Man went further and used the dreaded “P-word” (pretentious). It really wasn’t for her either.
- The film rather played short-shrift of some of Bernstein’s classic musicals, including “West Side Story”: I think it might have had a broader appeal if it had leaned more in to the creation of some of those classics.
Tremendous hair and make-up. Surely an Oscar nom? (Source: Netflix).
Triggers
There is a strong theme in the film about cancer.
Summary Thoughts on “Maestro”
It’s a fine and well made film. But not one that I found appealing or engaging. A bit of a disappointment to be honest. This will be an interesting one to see how it fares during awards season.
The film will be on Netflix from December 20th. But if you have a love of Bernstein’s classical music then this is one that is worth going to see on the big screen while you still can. For the power of some of the concert scenes, with a cinema sound system behind them, is awesome.
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Trailer for “Maestro”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJP2QblqLA0 .
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