First Look - Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein- Page 4

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 9/2/23 at 5:47pm

Good for him... but what makes his sex life so interesting that it features in the trailer? It's not a big deal. Not then, not now. Did it impact his work? Did he navigate the AIDS crisis? I hope it's more than just "oh look, he liked men, how salacious"... the fact you say he was so comfortable with it makes it even less of a deal.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/2/23 at 5:59pm

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Good for him... but what makes his sex life so interesting that it features in the trailer? It's not a big deal. Not then, not now. Did it impact his work? Did he navigate the AIDS crisis? I hope it's more than just "oh look, he liked men, how salacious"... the fact you say he was so comfortable with it makes it even less of a deal."

Per the reviews, the emotional core of the movie focuses on the relationship with his wife, and how he was able to navigate a deeply loving marriage while also having long-term (and short term) relationships with other people who happened to be men.

FOSSE/VERDON illustrated a similar type of relationship, except in that case they happened to all be women that Fosse was sleeping with.

[Dom P]

Posted: 9/2/23 at 6:03pm

Well received in Venice. Looking very much foward to seeing in one of theatrical engagements has planned for it.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 9/2/23 at 7:07pm

Early review are strong.

Awaiting New York Times/Critics Pix!

[Robbie2]

Posted: 9/4/23 at 7:12pm

Bradley Cooper’s ‘Maestro’ Wows Venice With 7-Minute Standing Ovation as Leonard Bernstein’s Kids Break Down in Tears

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/bradley-cooper-maestro-venice-standing-ovation-leonard-bernstein-kids-sob-1235695781/

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 10/2/23 at 12:05pm

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/2/23 at 12:09pm

That's quite a striking poster. Still fascinating that she is billed first.

It's playing New York Film Festival this week so we'll get some more reactions soon...anyone going?

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 10/25/23 at 11:22am

 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 10/25/23 at 11:26am

This looks absolutely stunning.

[dyemery]

Posted: 10/25/23 at 2:25pm

Looks pretty good.

The only gripe I have so far is not having a Latina actress play Felicia Montealegre (especially with Mulligan clearly putting on an accent). Something about it here just feels…wrong.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 1:38pm

Can NOT wait for this in a few weeks.

 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 11/14/23 at 12:51pm

I saw an advance screening of this and I can't say I was a fan. The performances are good but the entire focus of the film is on their marriage and not their work. In fact, their work is only mentioned in exposition. There's one moment where you see him conduct for an extended period of time -- about five minutes -- and that's about it. If you're looking for a movie about Leonard Bernstein's career and career achievements, this isn't it.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/14/23 at 1:13pm

Biopics aren’t documentaries. Biopics pick a certain narrative of the subject(s) and use sections of their lives/careers to elaborate. Documentaries showcase the subject including the work they were known for. Had MAESTRO been an 8-part limited series, it’s more than obvious to assume an episode would have been devoted to one work he was famous for: the FANCY FREE ballet, ON THE TOWN, WEST SIDE STORY, CANDIDE, etc. 

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 11/14/23 at 6:53pm

If it's not a documentary, why is there SUCH an emphasis on imitation? I think that's what's going to ruin it for me. I'll try to be optimistic.

Also, dyemery, if your only gripe is about Carey Mulligan playing Mrs. Bernstein... why aren't you bothered about an Irish Italian Catholic playing a Ukrainian Jew? Actual question.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 10:32pm

Anyone else seen this?

I found it a towering artistic achievement with two of the best acting performances I've seen this year at its center. Let's get Carey Mulligan back onstage ASAP!! Nice to see lots of Broadway folks in the cast (Miriam Shor, Gideon Glick, Nick Blaemire, Mallory Portnoy, Hildreth, and Scott Ellis who directed Bradley Cooper in Elephant Man). Justin Peck choreographed a "Fancy Free/On The Town sequence, beautifully and excitingly shot by Cooper, featuring a number of Bway dancers. Sarah Silverman is particularly good as Lenny's sister and the world of this movie fits her like a glove.

I have gripes about some parts of the script and what they chose to omit, but it's not a documentary and they can't include everything.

Found the makeup & prosthetics to be very effective. The nose didn't bother me at all.

It was really absorbing to see it in a theatre, and the Paris Theatre in NYC has a great new Dolby sound system.

[Dan6]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 2:11pm

My grandfather was a friend of Lenny's and I met him several times, so I knew this movie would hold particular emotional resonance to me and looked forward to it more than any film this year.  Personally, I would have preferred to see a little more focus on his work (rather than have "and you wrote West Side Story" dropped in during an interview), but I recognize that would have been a different movie; this was clearly telling the story of his relationship with Felicia, and at that it succeeded.  There's some intentional emotional distancing of the audience in key scenes, I caught a couple of continuity errors in the editing, and I missed some dialogue (not sure if it was the sound mixing or just the Egyptian Theater where I saw it), but for the most part I thought this was brilliant, and the two lead performances are as good as you will ever see.  Carey Mulligan is wonderful as always, and I would love to see her take home an Oscar for what is probably her best work to date.  As for Cooper, I don't think I've ever seen a more spot-on filmed impersonation of a real-life figure.  Not just the makeup, which is perfection (including the nose), but the voice, the mannerisms, the speech patterns, the facial expressions, and most stunningly (and challenging) of all, the conducting.  There were many moments when I felt I was watching archival footage in a documentary.  And the six minutes of Cooper inhabiting Lenny conducting Mahler's Second at Ely Cathedral is without a doubt the most thrilling scene I've seen in any movie this year.   

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 3:06pm

I agree with everything Dan6 says above. We saw MAESTRO at the Egyptian in LA this past week, a thrilling 2 hours that made me feel I was watching one of the few really great films of 2023. Carey Mulligan's performance is lovely, but Bradley Cooper's Bernstein is absolutely in a class of its own. The passion, the affectation, the sexual magnetism, the handsy-ness, the SWEAT-- all embodied the real Bernstein to an astonishing degree. The FANCY FREE sequence alone made me fall in love with this picture-- it is pure film conjuring up pure theater at its best. And yes, Sarah Silverman was magnificent every minute onscreen. Bravos all around.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 3:55pm

Both of you stated it perfectly. I have nothing more to add. It's as perfect a movie and a performance as it can be. Bradley will finally get his Oscar now. Absolutely brilliant.

 

[DaveyG]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 4:19pm

Saw it yesterday and it is absolutely magnificent. I've also never heard a movie sound better in my life. It was thrilling to the eyes and ears. 

[BWNUT]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 2:05am

I found the film quite immersive. A visual and aural feast. And that 6-minute Mahler conducting scene. WOW! Just WOW!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 10:01am

Love the way they chose to tell this story, but I also wouldn't mind a PRISCILLA-style film from the angle of Jamie Bernstein, their daughter (played here by Maya Hawke). There are some heartbreaking interactions with Jamie.

Updated On: 11/30/23 at 10:01 AM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 1:32pm

In the middle of listening to Bradley's interview with Howard Stern, and it's an interesting story of how he got handed the project, and the passion he has for musics and artists with passion. Nice to see based on the reviews that it's translating.

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 4:18pm

With his auteur tendencies and focus on music and complicated artists, Bradley Cooper is proving to be the second coming of Clint Eastwood. The big difference, of course, is that Cooper is working primarily in traditional big-budget film techniques, while Eastwood tended towards working with Dogme and other experimental/microbudget techniques on the fringes of Hollywood.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 4:20pm

IMHO I see Warren Beatty or Robert Redford as a greater comparison point than Eastwood.

I'd love to hear Cooper and Lin-Manuel Miranda in conversation, because I think TICK TICK BOOM and MAESTRO feel like close cousins (and both share some similarities with Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ).

Updated On: 11/30/23 at 04:20 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/20/23 at 1:17pm

Just noticed Alex Lacamoire is credited on the MAKE OUR GARDEN GROW track of the album. I'm assuming he conducted the choir or played the piano part?