Maestro

2023 2h 9m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 889

DramaRomanceMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between 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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Carey Mulligan
Felicia Montealegre
Bradley Cooper
Leonard Bernstein
Matt Bomer
David Oppenheim
Vincenzo Amato
Bruno Zirato
Greg Hildreth
Isaac
Michael Urie
Jerry Robbins
Brian Klugman
Aaron Copeland
Nick Blaemire
Adolph Green

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bradley Cooper
Writers: Josh Singer, Bradley Cooper
Languages: English, Russian, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 0% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Russian, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

274+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bradley Cooper, shot by Matthew Libatique. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michelle Tesoro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper and Matt Bomer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bradley Cooper directs. Matthew Libatique behind the camera. Michelle Tesoro cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Russian, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 0% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 3 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Russian, Spanish.
5274+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Bradley Cooper, shot by Matthew Libatique. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Michelle Tesoro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper and Matt Bomer carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt5535276 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "husband wife relationship", "show business", "conductor", "marriage".

The technical file

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
Editing: Michelle Tesoro
Production design: Kevin Thompson
Costume design: Mark Bridges
Makeup / hair: Toni Roman-Grimm
VFX supervisor: John Bair
Sound: Richard King
Stunt coordinator: Scott Burik
Runtime: 129 min · 2h 9m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $300,000
Return: 0% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Maestro (2023)

Also by

Bradley Cooper

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2023-09-03
★ 8/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/maestro-venice-film-festival-review-bradley-cooper-is-a-certified-talented-filmmaker/ "Maestro exceeds expectations, certifying Bradley Cooper as a filmmaker with innate talent, just like Leonard Bernstein, who the former portrays brilliantly. An inspirational biopic focused on an exponentially compelling romance elevated by emotionally genuine performances filled with intensely, passionately authentic interactions. Carey Mulligan joins the actor/director in the race for awards with a remarkable, spectacular display that will bring tears to even less sensitive viewers. Technically sublime, the conductor's music induces many chills in the audience through a story about love, family, artistic passion, and all the obstacles and dilemmas that arise from them." Rating: A-
CinemaSerf2023-12-05
★ 6/10
I don't know if maybe "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018) or "Rocketman" (2019) have made me a bit immune to the rather hedonistic lifestyles of the musical rich and famous, but I found this beautifully photographed depiction of the life of the enigmatic Leonard Bernstein to be remarkably tame. The monochrome presentation is glorious to look at, but the narrative is weak, I found. Carey Mullian, his long-suffering wife Felicia Montealegre is easily the most meritorious of praise here. She portrays the increasingly frustrated, betrayed yet still loving woman with a strength and subtlety that is really engaging - especially towards the end of the film. Cooper, on the other hand - well, was he meant to be mimicking Barry Manilow or Tony Bennett? We learn very little about what made the man tick, about what made his sexuality such a big deal for him? The other characters come and go with little context to illustrate their roles in his life, his role in their's and with the possible exception of their eldest daughter Shirley (Sarah Silverman) there is no conversation to be had about just how this marriage of convenience was established or managed. It's also largely devoid of his most famous musical works. Aside from the tiniest interlude from "West Side Story" - which I know he didn't much care for - we could be forgiven for assuming that this was a biopic of a composer with high-brow classical aspirations but with little popular appeal. That said, there is a splendid rendition of Mahler's 2nd from the acoustically gorgeous Ely cathedral to savour, but otherwise this is all a rather underwhelming melodrama that really didn't tell me much that I didn't already know about this charismatic, selfish and flawed individual the fluctuating state of whose marriage was, frankly, of very little interest to me. More marital woes than maestro, sorry.
Brent Marchant2023-12-25
★ 5/10
A great talent deserves a great biopic. Regrettably, in the case of the late conductor/composer/musician Leonard Bernstein, he doesn’t get it. Writer-actor-director Bradley Cooper has made a film that I’m sure he thinks of as his cinematic masterpiece when, in fact, it comes across more like a tribute to the filmmaker’s own ego than as an homage to his subject. Perhaps the biggest problem here is the screenplay, which can never really decide if it wants to be a litany of the accomplishments of the artist (Cooper) or a love story between him and his adoring wife, Felicia (Carey Mulligan). The constant switching back and forth between the two leaves viewers wondering which will be the focus that the director settles on. Then there’s Cooper’s increasingly hammy overacting, which grows progressively annoying as the film plays out, a performance riddled with knowing looks of “I know I’m going to get awards nominations for this portrayal.” Add to that a somewhat inexplicable shift from monochrome to color cinematography, and audiences are left further pondering the filmmaker’s cinematic motivations while simultaneously having to contend with notably underdeveloped depictions of the character’s motivations, making for a rather shallow take overall when it comes to exploring the protagonist’s nature. To its credit, “Maestro” features a fine production design and gorgeous camera work (especially in the black-and-white sequences), and Mulligan’s luminescent presence is positively captivating, in my view the only real reason for screening this offering in the first place. Otherwise, however, this is a big awards season disappointment that leaves much to be desired – and that likely would have been better off left in the hands of the project’s originally designated director, Steven Spielberg. Cooper may be a fine actor, but that’s what he should stick with, as that’s where his real strength lies – not behind the camera or sitting in the writer’s chair.