The cynical read on Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” — his second directorial outing following 2018’s “A Star is Born” — is that it’s very obvious he has nine Academy Award nominations and zero wins. From his first nomination for “Silver Linings Playbook” in 2012 through his most recent nomination as a producer of 2019’s “Joker,” the coveted gold statue has continually eluded Cooper.
“Maestro,” which Cooper directs, stars in, and co-writes, may very well bring him a slew of Best Actor trophies for his portrayal of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein. But the general lack of cynicism is what’s surprising about his latest movie. The movie has its share of biopic tropes (unavoidably baked into the DNA of this kind of film), but Cooper’s passion, particularly behind the camera, elevates “Maestro” from just another biopic.
Biopics run the risk of feeling like a filmed timeline or a Wikipedia summarization. Cooper incorporates plenty of key moments from Bernstein’s life and career, but he centers the movie on his relationship with wife, actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). When Mulligan appears early in the film, she steps off a bus in the distance and comes into frame like a starlet in a 1940s melodrama. She enters a party, where she meets Leonard (Cooper), who introduces himself as Lenny. They are immediately taken with one another and a relationship starts to form.
The early scenes in “Maestro” are in black-and-white and play with tone and genre without every feeling haphazardly put together. There’s a screwball comedy-like energy to the early scenes of Leonard and Felicia’s relationship, which even feels a bit fantastical in its presentation. They are madly in love with each other, but Leonard doesn’t keep it a secret that he also has relationships with men.
Leonard and Felicia eventually get married and start a family, which is when “Maestro” shifts into color photography. As the years go on, their marriage is further tested by Leonard’s relationships with men. What “Maestro” is attempting is conveyed through a scene later in the film, when Felicia is having lunch with Leonard’s sister, Shirley (Sarah Silverman). “I’ve always known who he is,” she tells Shirley. “It’s my own arrogance to think I could survive on what he could give.” Mulligan’s performance is heartbreaking in this moment, because “Maestro” doesn’t ask its viewers to pick a side. Leonard often acted selfishly and without regard for Felicia, but the film aims to show the two of them genuinely loved and supported each other.
Cooper’s performance is big and over-the-top, but never in a distracting or showboating way. He conveys a character that commanded an entire room and showed why people wanted to be in Leonard’s orbit. Felicia is often seen (literally) waiting in the wings of Leonard’s performances, but Cooper makes a conscious effort to cede the film’s point of view to her character. This isn’t just another movie about a great and accomplished man — it’s about those who were often hurt by his shadow.
For a movie about a famed composer, the music isn’t always the focal point. It’s about moving through Leonard and Felicia’s life and how someone with such a large personality had so much to give the world through his art, but didn’t always have enough to give back to those closest to him. “Maestro” is gorgeously constructed, aided by the breathtaking cinematography of Matthew Libatique, and further proof Cooper is a passionate director with real staying power.
“Maestro” opens December 15 at The Little.
Matt Passantino is a contributing writer to CITY. Feedback about this article can be directed to leah@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2023.
