Summary
- Bradley Cooper’s biopic Maestro receives glowing reviews, with critics praising its risks and direct hits.
- The movie paints a stunning portrait of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein as a charismatic narcissist, in a marriage he believes in but can’t fully live up to.
- While some found issues with Maestro, Carey Mulligan delivers a standout performance.
Audiences have been eagerly awaiting the sophomore directorial effort of actor Bradley Cooper following the release of awards darling A Star is Born. And it sounds like Cooper has struck gold once again with Maestro, a biopic centering on legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. The first reviews have now emerged following Maestro’s debut at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, with critics heaping praise on Cooper and his co-star Carey Mulligan, with the movie currently standing at 93% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
The Daily Telegraph’s Robbie Collin awards Maestro a perfect 5/5, praising the movie for taking the kinds of risks we rarely see taken anymore.
“When we critics complain that studio pictures don’t take risks any more, Maestro is exactly the sort of film we wish they’d make instead. Not everything in it lands cleanly, but even its misses excite, and its direct hits are knockouts.”
Maestro received a 7-minute standing ovation following its debut, and the praise continues thanks to Variety’s Owen Gleiberman who calls the movie…
“A stunning portrait of the artist as a charismatic narcissist in thrall to a marriage he believes in yet can’t completely live up to.”
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter meanwhile sums things up by simply saying…
“A soaring crescendo into sorrow.”
Ryan Lattanzio of indieWire though found several issues with Maestro, but ultimately praised Carey Mulligan for her performance as Felicia Montealegre.
“Behind its omissions, its contrivances, and Cooper’s straining for greatness that doesn’t always hit every note, “Maestro” is really Mulligan’s movie…”
Maestro Will Land on Netflix in December
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw awarded Maestro a 4/5 and commends the movie for not shying away from the difficulties found in Bernstein’s life.
“In the end, Cooper’s Maestro succeeds because it is candid about the sacrifices which art demands of its practitioners, and the sacrifices these practitioners demand of their families and partners.”
In one of the rare negative responses, Rafaela Sales Ross from The Playlist criticized Cooper for falling into cliché when attempting to tell a progressive story.
“Cooper believes his portrayal of Felicia to be progressive but is regressive in adding the activist to the beaten trope of “the woman behind the man.””
But, Rolling Stone’s Marlow Stern could not disagree more, calling Maestro “one of the finest films of the year.”
“This is not just a worthy tribute to one of the greatest figures in the American musical canon, but also one of the finest films of the year.”
Maestro chronicles the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core, is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love as it explores the complex love of Leonard and Felicia, from the time they met in 1946 at a party, continuing through two engagements, a 25-year marriage, and three children.
Directed by Bradley Cooper from a screenplay he co-wrote with Josh Singer, Maestro finds Cooper also in the lead as Bernstein, alongside Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre. The rest of the cast includes Matt Bomer (Doom Patrol), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Gideon Glick (The Pale Blue Eye), Sam Nivola (White Noise), Miriam Shor (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), and Alexa Swinton (And Just Like That…).
Maestro is scheduled for limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 20, 2023.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
