First 'Maestro' Reactions Praise Bradley Cooper's Performance, But Say His Bernstein Biopic Is 'Solid But Imperfect'
09/02/2023 01:15 PM
Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan are being praised for their performances as Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre, respectively, in “Maestro,” despite an overall mixed reaction. The film made its debut Saturday at the Venice Film Festival to praise for its leads though the overall reaction has been far more muted than anticipated.
The film tells the story of Bernstein and his relationship with his wife, as well as the acclaimed composer’s musical work. Cooper wears multiple hats with this film: starring, directing, and co-writing the screenplay with Josh Singer. The film also stars Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman.
Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri said, “There are a lot of great things in Bradley Cooper’s MAESTRO (chief among them Carey Mulligan’s performance) but the film mostly left me cold.”
Others are expressing similar sentiments. This is Cooper’s sophomore feature after his emotionally charged remake of “A Star is Born” in 2018 and freelance film critic Lex Briscuso expressed that he might have bitten off more than he could chew saying, “Cooper’s strong performance ends up ultimately outweighing his directorial eye.” Writer Yasmine Kandil called the film, “a solid but imperfect sophomore feature.”
“Maestro” drew criticism in August when the first trailer dropped with social media questioning whether it was appropriate for Cooper to wear a fake nose. The controversy became so pervasive the Bernstein family felt the need to respond, saying at the time that “"It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, and we're perfectly fine with that. We're also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well.”
The American Defamation League also responded with “Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that."
You can read what other critics are saying about the film below.
“Maestro” hits theaters November 22.
Bradley Cooper's Maestro is sublime. His confidence and maturity as a filmmaker have grown significantly since ASIB. He has a tender, delicate and passionate touch both in front of and behind the camera. He and Mulligan have spellbinding chemistry together. Expect award noms…
— Luke Hearfield @ Venice(@LukeHearfield) September 2, 2023
The post First ‘Maestro’ Reactions Praise Bradley Cooper’s Performance, But Say His Bernstein Biopic Is ‘Solid But Imperfect’ appeared first on TheWrap.
