REVIEW: Maestro is Bradley Cooper’s near-successful attempt at a masterpiece

One of the giants of 20th century music who isn’t as well-remembered compared to the Beatles or Michael Jackson is Leonard Bernstein. A famous composer and conductor, most people know Bernstein nowadays as the composer of the music for West Side Story. But he left behind a legacy as one of the greatest conductors in American history, and this new film depicts his tumultuous and turbulent life as directed by one of cinema’s biggest drama kids.

Bradley Cooper (from A Star Is Born, the Hangover, and Guardians of the Galaxy) has many roles In Maestro. Not only did he co-produce the film alongside several others, and co-write the film alongside Josh Singer (who previously wrote Spotlight and First Man), he also directs the film and stars as Bernstein. The film unfolds in two halves, the first documenting his initial musical successes and his courtship with his eventual wife, the actress Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan from Drive, She Said, and Mudbound). The second half depicts the troubles in his life, from his dissatisfaction with his career to the immense pain his wife suffers seeing his many affairs with men.

Maestro is a film that will live on in the hearts of drama kids for decades. Cooper utilizes makeup, accent-work and complete immersion in the character for his performance. A good chunk of this film depicts Bernstein conducting, and it’s clear that Cooper has spent years watching Bernstein meticulously to get his movements down. Working from the outside in, Cooper has created a spectacular imitation. It’s a performance that will be remembered as one of Cooper’s best for years past his life, a true career-defining role.

However, the tougher role and the one played more impressively is Mulligan as his wife. The best actors don’t act, they react. And her role is set up almost entirely to be a reaction. It’s as if Cooper’s star was born back with his directorial debut in 2018, and here Mulligan is witnessing that star take shape. Her performance is quiet and measured in comparison to his, always ebbing with his flows. All who want to be actors will dream of playing a role like Cooper’s, but the true actors know that Mulligan is the one with the harder and more fulfilling job. While she has costumes and makeup to aid her, they’re not as much of a crutch as Cooper’s are.

Mulligan carries the role entirely in her face and small moments, from the genuine love she has for Lenny and the pain at always being just one of his distractions. Bernstein is portrayed as a man who wants it all, whether it be lovers, acclaim or anything in between. But Montealegre only wants him and her family, and throughout the film you can see the hurt slowly come out more.

Where the film excels the most is showing the love and pain between the two, especially in the first half of the film. This half unfolds more like a highly idealized memory, predominantly in black and white and with an ecstatic formalist flair. Cooper’s direction is showy and constantly impressive, with many long takes utilizing cranes and flawless transitions. This formalism is mostly dropped in the second half, which shows the reality of their lives as they age. It becomes messier and unkempt, as the relationship’s struggles grow and the reality of everything starts to set in. But this messiness does show immense talent behind the camera as well.

All in all though, Maestro is a film that knows exactly what audience it’s made for. This is a film that drama kids and band kids will love. It’s a film that can inspire those with artistic desires, and even if it becomes slightly messy it always succeeds in telling the story of this complicated man. I give this film a 4/5, you can watch it in cinemas now or on Netflix starting on December 20th.