Review of Maestro, directed by Bradley Cooper

Ever since I attended the New York Film Festival as a critic, I began constantly seeing people online talking about Maestro. I had only come to the NYFF for the first week as a critic, as I’m also a graduate student who has so many other things to do besides my critic gig, and so I did not get a chance to screen this particular movie there.

That said, I kept seeing it everywhere. Everyone was talking about how this movie was Oscar bait, but I was dying of anticipation in order to see it when the film finally dropped on Netlfix.

And then I procrastinated for a solid month after the movie released. Something I’m also really good at nowadays is waiting until it’s time to get myself together and watch a movie I’ve been meaning to see. I think it’s become a talent of not watching something for a year.

So after my trip to Malaysia, I finally sat down to watch this movie. And man, I have some thoughts myself. They’re honestly kind of neutral, though, compared to what I’ve seen online.

Let’s get into the review!

A reflection on the relationship between Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia.

So this is a movie where we actually begin at the end. Leonard is almost in his seventies, and is being interviewed. As he plays the piano in his house, he stops when finishing, and then starts talking about his wife, Felicia. It hasn’t been too long since she passed, but he has a lot of love still in his heart, and he acknowledges the impacts she had on him and his career.

We then go back in time. Leonard Bernstein is 25 in 1943, and he’s already on his way to becoming one of the biggest names of music at the time. He’s named the assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic, and he’s asked to make his debut when the guest invited suddenly gets sick.

Bernstein gets onto that stage and rocks it, getting thundering applause. Overnight, he has become a sensation in the music world. He has a relationship with the clarinet player David Oppenheim; Bernstein was known to be bisexual. But when he goes to a party, his world is changed when he meets the actress Felicia Montealegre.

The two start dating, and he leaves behind David, who accepts the circumstances of this situation. It’s not for nothing, though, and Felicia and Leonard ultimately end up getting married and have multiple children together while pursuing their respective careers.

Bernstein continues to grow in acclaim, and by the fifties, they are well off financially compared to their younger years. He’s invited to do the compositions for some pretty famous Broadway musicals, like West Side Story, and some operas. However, Felicia finds herself in doubt as Bernstein has affairs with other men, and, as more time passes, he becomes more reliant on alcohol and drugs.

Their marriage might be under shambles privately, but things don’t get worse when their kid, Jamie, overhears about their father’s cheating. Leonard shuts down the talk of him cheating, saying that they’re just kind of jealous rumors made to slander his name.

Things escalate when, on Thanksgiving, Leonard gets in an accident and Felicia blows up on him when he returns home. She says he will be lonely when he dies, all by himself, and that he only hate hate in his heart if he continues done the rabbit hole of success and fame.

We don’t really get a resolution, but they stay married. One big scene is in 1973, when Leonard’s famous performance at an English cathedral. Felicia tells him there is no hate in his heart here, but soon after she is diagnosed with breast cancer. In a harrowing scene, set in 1978, she dies in his arms at home.

The kids and Leonard flee the house, unable to stay in the place where their mother and wife died. The years pass, and Leonard continues conducting, and having affairs with his male students—who, if we’re going by looks, are much younger.

The film loops back to the interview, where he says he misses Felicia, then he has a flashback to them in the yard.

Overall Thoughts

I think as a movie, this was pretty technically interesting to watch when it comes to the more rigid elements of film. I appreciate a good black and white scene, which is something you might know if you read my blog more often. I review a lot of black and white films.

Bradley Cooper’s performance is pretty good in this movie, but I don’t think this would deserve a Best Picture nomination, which is what it ultimately got. There’s a compelling story behind Bernstein’s life, but I wanted more from Felicia beyond existing within the male gaze.

Like it was a very male dominated movie, if that makes sense. She only really exists in the world of the movie around Leonard, and that can be problematic when we can’t separate women from their husbands in narratives.

All in all, I’m glad I watched this. Don’t know if I’ll be rewatching it any time soon, though.

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