Maestro Review – Not Too Many High Notes

Films need to balance themselves between two different forms. As a form of both art and entertainment, artful films can be as interesting as explosively entertaining films. But, each one needs the other. For it to be as good as it can be, a film needs to be entertaining enough to enjoy the more pretentious bits, and that is where Maestro stumbles. Directed by Bradley Cooper (American Psycho), the film is a biopic that follows the relationship between master composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). 

It takes place over 50 years, beginning as Bernstein makes a name for himself in 1943, and ending a few years before his death. Maestro mostly focuses on how Bernstein’s sexuality and affairs impacted his relationships with his family. The film was written by Cooper and Josh Singer (Spotlight).

Maestro’s Storytelling

The film begins with a quote from Bernstein, “A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.” Starting like this gives the movie context. When I sat annoyed at the pacing, and how some of the scenes sat in the moment for far too long, my mind was drawn back to the quote. So, is that the point of the film, or is it a cop-out? It’s a little bit of both. 

Most of the film is framed voyeuristically. Rather than telling events from either Leonard’s or Felicia’s point of view, it often feels like we’re outside events. This has a few different effects throughout Maestro. During arguments between the couple, the audience is usually looking at the scene objectively, without inherently being told to be on someone’s side. But, when the couple falls in love and other similar private moments, it feels like we’re intruding on the events – on their thoughts and feelings – which in part goes to the strength of the performances as well.

By Maestro’s end, the story is satisfying. It isn’t overwhelmingly compelling, or filled with twists and turns, but it does tell the somewhat complicated story of a master of his craft attempting to balance his creativity and sexuality with his public persona. Yet, at times, it does feel like the way the film is shot gets in the way of the story, and that can make the film drag at times. Maestro’s pacing isn’t the worst, but it will probably get you checking your watch. 

All About Performance

Mulligan’s performance as Montealegre stands out. She makes every conflicted decision known and every sad moment felt. There are a couple of times where she is being talked to (or talked at) and she nails the thousand-yard stare of someone who has something else on her mind. She’s reserved, but her performance rang genuine, and watching the scenes where she declines in health broke me. Cooper’s performance as Bernstein is great, but it feels a touch heavy-handed. It might be because he also directed the film, but he captures the focus of quite a few of the scenes he’s in, particularly in the group shots.

Rather than feel like a real man, at times he feels like a caricature, a clown who’s designed to pull your focus. This is frustrating, especially when comparing it to Mulligan’s Felicia, who is much more natural. Now, this might be by design. Bernstein is hiding his sexuality, using his charm to both seduce and distract. It could be that Bernstein lit up every room he walked into, but it was distracting in the film, as were the effects used to age and de-age Cooper.

But, while there are moments that detract from Cooper’s performance, there are some great set pieces that demonstrate his embodiment of the composer. For example, toward the end of the movie he conducts a piece at Ely Cathedral, and it might be the longest piece that we see him conduct. Now, a layman like me might not be able to tell if what he’s conducting is accurate in any way, but it felt real. Cooper’s Bernstein felt the most authentic here. It’s also worth noting that Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) and Matt Bomer (White Collar) gave extremely solid performances as well. 

The Crescendo

It’s easy to understate how good the score is because it is a biopic about a composer. Maestro’s score is phenomenal, in part because of how well it is used in pivotal moments in the film, like the performance I mentioned previously. The score is made up of Bernstein’s compositions, and when they aren’t being heard diegetically, they make up the tone of the film. Yet, in those larger moments with the orchestra, the score fills up the scene. 

As it is a period film, the beauty of the costume and set design is easy to notice. Well, it’s harder to notice in the black-and-white scenes, but when it moves to color everything is a nice combination of beautiful and realistic. Speaking of the black-and-white, some cinematographical choices feel overcomplicated. Like Cooper’s performance, decisions like the black-and-white can feel too out of place at times. 

Most of the 129-minute runtime is filled with stellar performances, fantastic music, and an interesting character study. But, its bloated pretension does manage to knock it down a few pegs. Ultimately, Maestro is definitely worth watching as it is without a doubt one of the best movies of the year. The film is in theaters with a limited release and is set to hit Netflix on December 20, 2023. Unless you want to hear the phenomenal score in a theatrical setting, you can probably wait until it hits Netflix.