“Maestro” was directed by Bradley Cooper and co-written by him along with “Spotlight” screenwriter Josh Singer. Cooper stars as famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in a biopic focusing on the icon’s relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre. While they were a legitimately happy and loving pair, Bernstein had poorly concealed affairs with men throughout the marriage that strained their relationship.
Like everyone else who saw Cooper’s previous directorial effort “A Star is Born,” I loved it. Thus, I was hoping after his five-year hiatus he would return with another smash hit, but because 2023 is apparently the year of cinematic disappointments, all he delivered was a self-indulgent, Oscar-begging, soulless slog of a film.
Before I rant, let’s get the positives out of the way. Firstly, “Maestro” is a visual marvel. Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is absolutely stunning and, most impressively, versatile. “Maestro” spans multiple decades of Bernstein’s life, with the first third of the film focusing on his earlier years as a conductor in the 1950s. For this portion, Libatique modeled the camerawork after grand 1950s musicals, with sweeping camera movements coated in beautiful and transportive black-&-white. Then, for the rest of the film which focuses on Bernstein’s life in the 1960s-1980s, the film shifts to color, and although it doesn’t utilize 60s/70s/80s aesthetics, it takes on a dreamlike quality that reflects Bernstein’s idyllic mind.
“Maestro” also excels in its performances, namely Carey Mulligan as Felicia. She brings a subtle charisma and warmth to the character, and the audience can’t help but fall in love with her, just like Bernstein did. Mulligan also takes on lengthy monologues and takes with ease, culminating in a devastating revelation for Felicia that allows Mulligan to unleash all her acting chops without getting too showy. It’s a truly brilliant performance that’s well-deserving of an Oscar nomination, possibly even a win.
Mulligan and technical accomplishments aside, “Maestro” falls flat on its face, largely due to the abhorrent screenplay devoid of emotion or any fiber of a soul. This film fails to elicit even the most minuscule of emotions or life out of the audience until the aforementioned tragedy which befalls Felicia, but the only reason why that plot point lands is Mulligan’s performance, certainly not the script. Cooper and Singer speedrun through the decades, thus prohibiting any meaningful depth or strong character development. Oddly, at the same time the film feels brutally slow despite it rushing through time, simply because nothing really happens. We never actually witness Bernstein’s rise or learn for ourselves why his work is so magical — we just hear people say it is. That’s a textbook failure in following the “show don’t tell” rule. Cooper and Singer have zero interest in exploring Bernstein’s professional life, and since his personal life is oddly thin, there’s nothing to grasp onto.
To put it bluntly, “Maestro” is so damn boring. It is a total lullaby of a film that actively challenges the audience to stay awake. Seriously, Cooper almost seems aware of the audience falling asleep, as many dialogue scenes will have long pauses to account for the viewers having to jolt awake between lines. I feel that I’ve accomplished a monumental achievement in maintaining consciousness throughout this bland, dull, and lifeless bedtime story. I have not seen a film so difficult to stay awake during in years. I almost never get tired during films, but this was a different beast. I may have developed whiplash from all the head-jerking.
I find it borderline repulsive how Oscar-baiting this film is. I barely even consider it a film, as it’s more of a demo-reel for Cooper to show off his new voice and conducting skills after 4 years of preparation. I don’t care how much time and effort Cooper spent to immerse himself into the role. Yes, he’s quite good, but he’s not Cillian Murphy good, let alone Carey Mulligan good. I could picture plenty of other actors doing just as well as Cooper. As a filmmaker he has a responsibility to make a film, not a compilation of pretty clips boasting his acting just to beg the Academy to “Pick me! Pick me!” This is textbook Oscar-bait with a black hole for a heart.
I’m giving “Maestro” a harsh but fair grade:
C-