Maestro

This film reaffirmed for me that nothing in today's Hollywood is a sure thing. Even with Scorsese and Spielberg producing and the highly successful Bradley Cooper directing, the result can still miss the mark. Despite Cooper's evident passion for Leonard Bernstein, the film ends up feeling self-indulgent, more for him than for the audience. While Bradley's performance and transformation are nearly genius, the standout moments are those where he conducts — scenes worthy of an IMAX screen. Unfortunately, the rest feels like unnecessary filler, leaving the viewer disinterested and disengaged. (27.12.2023)

A prosaic epic of a great artistic soul. Leonard Bernstein is a legend of classical music, and Bradley Cooper knows how to make the most of his roles. This is no exception. Despite the uniqueness of the story, the historical backdrop, the perfect acting performances, the authentic period atmosphere, and the quality execution, the story was a bit poorly structured and perhaps too complicated. Sometimes, there is strength in simplicity! (31.05.2024)

"I want an Oscar! .... I want my fucking Oscar!" Yes, the cinematography is great, the music is magical (but that's not Bradley Cooper's doing), the aging make-up effects are fantastic. But what good is that when at times I felt like I was at a show where the lead actor is trying so hard he doesn't even realize that the one that was supposed to be second best is overwhelmingly outplaying him. Yes, Carey Mulligan gave Bradley's big boxer of an actor a K.O. after a few minutes, because she, unlike him, came across as authentic, natural and didn't need any great prosthetics to do it. And I tried in vain the whole time to determine what it was actually supposed to be about. For it to be about a genius in the arms of the muses who was also a bit of a dick, it's too vague and indistinct, with characters just shuffling around, coming and going and nothing coming of it. And if it was supposed to be about the magical power of music, then maybe only in the cathedral scene, otherwise the reassurance of why Bernstein was such a great composer didn't really rub off on me the whole time. But maybe that's how Cooper intended it, according to the opening credits, that "a work of art doesn't answer questions: it provokes them", and I'm just wronging him on that. But sorry Bradley, sometimes I'm entitled to a bit of superficial viewer expectation... (07.02.2024)

Though it is beautifully filmed in formalistic terms and Bradley Cooper devotes himself to his acting performance, Maestro is a lifeless biopic. It’s as if there were no motifs in Leonard Bernstein’s life that would be sufficient for a dramatic and emotional telling of his story on film. Nevertheless, the film itself shows that there were such motifs, but it would have been necessary to work with them in a different way and build the screenplay on a foundation other than Bernstein’s homosexuality versus his marriage. The aspects of the complexity of his relationship with his wife are not tangible here. If not for a few dialogue scenes, we wouldn’t understand them at all, because we have no way or time to feel them. Produced by both Scorsese and Spielberg? Seriously? (08.02.2024)

No one could hope to sustain such a level of expectations. When you end up among Oscar favorites and creative certainties with your directorial debut and then choose a subject that is closest to your heart, a topic that has accompanied you since childhood, you're setting the bar so high that you will inevitably stumble over it. And Bradley Cooper... didn't. Maestro is aesthetically refined, perfectly cast, and artistically flawless (Leonard Bernstein's gestures and sweaty passion moved me repeatedly). Musically, it doesn't give you much to take home, where you hear only the tones of the main character's work, but why not. The boundary between the desire to say everything with almost documentary detail and a two-hour lecture from a devoted fan can sometimes be a thin one, but he never crossed it. And does the screenplay feel a bit familiar? Sure it does; after all, it's a biopic. With ups, downs, life successes, and disappointments that are not easily overcome. Because life, whether personal or professional, sometimes bears to close a resemblance to a simple melodrama. (29.12.2023)