'Maestro' Review

Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic is a mixed bag, brimming with potential but disjointed and unfocused in delivery.

Leonard Bernstein’s impact on the world of classical music, opera and theater in the 20th century hardly needs to be restated. His larger-than-life persona and complicated private life were simply begging for dramatization. Actor-turned-director Bradley Cooper’s much anticipated biopic has finally arrived in the hopes of bringing to life the story of this artistic giant. Maestro is Cooper’s second directorial effort, following on the heels of 2018’s A Star is Born, from which he continues his focus on the challenges of balancing commitment to personal relationships against the temptations and all-consuming nature of the artistic limelight. Juggling directorial and acting roles is no small feat and Cooper’s commitment to fully immersing himself in Bernstein’s art is commendable. Recent press has revealed that Cooper spent 6 years learning the finer points of conducting under the tutelage of New York Metropolitan Opera Music director Yannick Nézet-Ségui in preparation for his role¹. With so much potential for exploration, Bernstein’s musicianship takes a backseat for most of the film outside a singular monumental sequence where Cooper conducts the thrilling climax of Mahler’s second symphony. Maestro spends most of its runtime instead focusing on Bernstein’s tumultuous personal relationships, from his romance and strained marriage to Felicia Montealegre, to his sporadic homosexual dalliances. Shot in black and white, the first portion of the film covers Bernstein’s rise to fame and courtship of Felicia in the 1940s and 1950s. Here, the tension is established between Bernstein’s public vs. private life, his instinctual knack as a performer, socialite and affluent family man against his desire to compose music, deep seeded depression and covert homosexual associations. Cooper switches to a grainy, film-like color for the remainder of the film as Bernstein’s increased carousel with other men and frequent substance abuse begin to take a heavy toll on his marriage. Eventually, this lifestyle leads Felicia and Bernstein to separate. However, they continue to care for each other from afar and ultimately reconnect after one of Bernstein’s concerts. The final portion of the film focuses on Felicia’s battle with cancer and what is ultimately a touching renaissance in her and Bernstein’s relationship.

Bradley Cooper delivers a compelling performance in what may be a strong Oscar contender this year. His dedication to fully entering his role as Bernstein is obvious, from a heavy use of prosthetics (the enlarged nose generated quite a bit of controversy prior to the release) to his adoption of Bernstein’s accent and mannerisms. Carey Mulligan likewise treats with a poignant and moving performance as Felicia Montealegre. The dynamism of these two stars and the film’s commitment to historical accuracy prove to be its strongest selling point. With effective color grading, many of the scenes feel like watching footage from Bernstein’s life rather than a dramatization. 

However, Maestro is ultimately a mixed bag, brimming with potential but disjointed and unfocused in delivery. The core of the issue stems from the fact that the film attempts to cover the entirety of Bernstein’s 50 year career in a 2 hour runtime. From the offset, the film is thematically incongruent, flashing different ideas briefly before moving on to the next. In the first few scenes, we are introduced to several concepts that could have easily assumed the central thematic dynamism of the narrative. Maestro would have greatly benefited in narrowing the scope to focus on a certain smaller period of Bernstein’s life where he struggles with a single issue, whether it was overcoming anti semitism to become a respected conductor, or struggling to achieve his dreams of becoming a prolific composer against the the rigorous demands of conducting or even focusing solely on the struggles of his marriage. Depicting his entire career in any meaningful way would have been much better suited to a miniseries. Walking away from the film, one is left trying to piece together what it was really about. I got the sense that I was looking through a photo album of Bernstein’s life with little captions of certain scenes but not much context to tie it all together. 

If one approaches the film with the hopes of hearing some of Bernstein’s more catchy show tunes from West Side Story, On the Waterfront or Candide, they will be disappointed. We are in for a serious affair which attempts to examine the complexities of human nature through the life of a troubled artist. It bears reiteration given the mission of this blog to examine the art of film through the lens of a catholic worldview that Maestro contains a fair bit of homosexual themes. The film does not tend to glorify Bernstein’s escapades nor hone in on any graphic details but rather uses them to highlight the complicated and tortured nature of his character and the negative effects it had on his marriage and family life. 

While I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend Maestro, if one is looking to get a historically accurate series of vignettes depicting the life and struggles of a great 20th century artist through the lens of the messiness and complexity of human nature, then proceed with caution.

1. https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bernstein-l/bradley-cooper-six-years-conduct-mahler-maestro/