Maestro

Directed by Bradley Cooper, Maestro explores the lifelong relationship between conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Filmmaker Cooper, armed with his and Josh Singer’s screenplay, delivers a compelling biopic that grows more and more involving as it unfolds, with the movie’s first half, which is admittedly quite entertaining and engaging, suffering from a lack of context that does tend to prevent the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the material (ie Bernstein isn’t quite as fleshed-out as one might’ve hoped and anticipated). It’s equally clear, however, that such concerns are generally allayed by Matthew Libatique’s stylish, eye-catching visuals and the top-notch performances, and there’s little doubt, in terms of the former, that Cooper himself offers up an immersive and impressively lived-in turn that remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings. (And this is to say nothing of the often jaw-droppingly convincing makeup on Cooper’s aging figure.) The inclusion of an unexpectedly emotional third act goes a long way towards cementing Maestro‘s place as an erratic yet mostly rewarding piece of work, as it’s impossible to deny that the picture’s impressionistic structure is ultimately (and surprisingly) doing more harm than good (ie this is probably the rare case where a more traditional approach might’ve worked better).

*** out of ****