Bradley Cooper’s second directorial feature after 2018’s “A Star is Born”, “Maestro” is a wonderful telling of the marriage of the most prolific contemporary composers in American history.
The movie tells the life story of the musician, composer, and conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper). From his first true performance when he took the place of Bruno Walter to his later years. His tumultuous marriage with Felicia Montelegre (Carey Mulligan) is the main focus of the film as we follow the ups and downs throughout his life pertaining to his career, family, and sexuality.
This movie is breathtakingly beautiful. The color grading is so clean and amazing, it always looks so crisp on the screen. The first quarter of the movie is in black and white and feels like a classic piece of cinema. The rest of the movie is in color and feels like a typical biopic. Bradley Cooper also used different aspect ratios to help portray certain emotions or events. All of these directorial decisions help create an engaging viewing experience.
The film used to shoot the movie creates a multitude of different atmospheres. Sometimes the movie feels warm and welcoming, other times it feels cold and depressing. The composition of the shots helps with the atmosphere as well. In a scene towards the end of Leonard Bernstein conducting Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 2 in C Minor ‘Resurrection’ V. Finale” was absolutely breathtaking and is demanding of your undivided attention.
His career sometimes takes a backseat during the 129 minute runtime to focus on his marriage. This isn’t really a negative though because the scenes depicting their marriage are usually quite gripping and dramatic. Drawing you in to the story and never really letting go. If you go in looking to explore his career you will leave somewhat disappointed because a lot of his credits are told verbally rather than visually while focusing on his relationships with his wife and others.
The performances were also all very good. Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein with a gravitas and clearly holds an incredible amount of respect. But Carey Mulligan acts circles around him in almost every scene. Carey Mulligan is definitely the best and most stand out performance during the movie’s 129 minute runtime. All of the supporting cast all fit in their roles and are all great as well.
“Maestro” is a great and reverent biopic on one of the most important and influential musicians in American history. This movie also makes it clear that “A Star is Born” wasn’t just a one time fluke and Bradley Cooper is very capable in the directors chair. If you are interested in learning more about Leonard Bernstein’s marriage or just want to watch a beautiful looking movie this is an easy recommendation.
Directed by Bradley Cooper
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Vincenzo Amato, Greg Hildreth, Michael Urie, Brian Klugman, Sarah Silverman, Maya Hawke
Rated R
Runtime: 129 minutes
My Rating: ★★★★
