The film is honestly just so thinly written that the grandiosity of all the crafts just sorta becomes overbearing. Like yeah the argument scenes are well-constructed but they aren't really saying anything that tells you much about who these people are, so the longer these static takes go the more I find myself checking my watch.
Late to the party seeing this but yep I felt the same way. Even though he’s not the front runner anymore, I still don’t think we can rule out Cooper winning because it’s just that kind of performance
I just saw this film and I thought it was really immersive. The shot of his shadow over her while he performs was iconic and the vulnerability in both leads was intense.
Found this film to be very disappointing. I don't know much about Leonard Bernstein and I was hoping this film would enlighten me. Unfortunately I left the film knowing nothing about the man. Also the film jumps so quickly and frequently around different time periods never lingering long enough to get audiences invested. I will admit the acting was good. Carrey Mulligan is phenomenal and Bradley Cooper was good but I can't help feel this would have been better served to us as a limited series, which could have told more of his story.
The screenplay is most important thing of a movie by far and if it's mediocre like in the case of this movie it really doesn't matter how gourgeous it looks or how hard the actors are trying to impress the spectator, the movie won't be more than mediocre.
To me the technical stuff should be part of the storytelling, not just there to look good, and I think that is a big part of it, its just a lot of shots strung together. I think the story is disingenuous, trying to make a dysfunctional relationship into a romance, it becomes dysfunctional itself. Acting like he was going to die without the D was really bizarre. Maybe if its not your experience find people that were in marriages like this, get their stories.
I think the first act and the last act are pretty incredible, but the middle act where we exit the black and white is just not interesting enough until we get to the Mahler scene. I think if the screenplay went a lot deeper in the middle, specifically analyzing Lenny and Felicia individually, this could’ve been a top 5 of the year. As is, I really really like it. Maybe a bit less than I did when I first watched it but that Mahler scene is just so out of this world that it more than makes up for it for me.
Agree about the middle, something was left out is what I keep feeling. I had a really strong reaction to this movie and I realized at the end that I really dislike Leonard 😮
@@bbash578 admittedly I haven’t see everything. But my top 5 as of now are Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives, The Iron Claw, The Holdovers, and Poor Things.
It's very pretty but empty. I don't feel like I learned anything about Bernstein or Montealegre or marriage in particular. It didn't feel like the film had anything to say about these people or their lives as creative people besides "It's hard to be married to a 'genius'" - how trite. If it was up to me, all it would be in contention for is cinematography.
Bradley Cooper is so hungry for that oscar. Inviting lady gaga to the premiere Dating gigi hadid Serving food at a Newyork food truck Doing both actor on actor and director on director on variety
am I the only one who didn't understand why the wife said that leonard bernstein had "hate in his heart", didn't he actually love too much people with his affairs?
It definitely wasn’t clear. Perhaps, it was out of frustration that she didn’t feel he loved her enough or implying he didn’t love himself and doubting his intentions behind surrounding himself with other people. That’s what I took away from it at least.
I felt like I learned absolutely nothing about Bernstein other than his relationship history. It was well made and acted. But the parts just did not sum up to anything truly meaningful imo
Something to say about Cooper is that he is a very competent filmmaker but he is failing with approching too much... He needs to learn a lot before keep on writing scripts because that is the source of the problem. It's obvious with this and A Star Is Born that he is (apparently) interested in character study but he doesn't know how to reach that... Unlike glorious Tár last year; it resonates with all social and political context of today taking us through the moral journey of this narcissist and her conflicts while making us question everything they've shown about what is right and wrong within this problematic character and her circumstances and that makes it fascinating, it's not just *existing* *existing* *existing* Maestro's narrative feels empty because they just *exist*, their existance doesn't tell us anything of our times or their's; if you think A Clockwork Orange, Psycho, A Steetcar Named Desire, Whatever Happend To Baby Jane, Midnight Cowboy, Taxi Driver or even fucking Joker are just "cool" or "quotable" movies... They're political and standing on their context to speak to audiences; not actively celebrating or punishing their characters but just following them... If we have something making all that this year it's definitely The Zone Of Interest or even May December
I just saw Maestro and I sort of hated it. The opening third is awful as is the ending. I was only interested in the middle bit in color. Carey Mulligan acts circles around Bradley. The makeup is impressive and still in bad taste with the ridiculous nose. One of the most disappointing films I've seen all year. It's edited so choppy with really pretentious dialogue. Maestro feels more like an acting display for Bradley rather than a coherent picture honoring or diving into Leonard Bernstein. 4/10
Listened to the Blank Check episode on this movie, and they made a great quote: "if all Oscar bait was of this quality, the term 'Oscar bait' would no longer be a negative."
i thought the film was fine, acting and directing was brilliant but the rest idk the screenplay wasn't very good and i don't think it knew what it wanted to be
I really like Maestro tbh. I was just caught up in the film, lost in scenes and the performances. The last act does not totally work for me but I loved the film as a whole.
I didn’t like Maestro at all, but it’s not because I have opinions about method acting. I think neither Maestro nor A Star Is Born was well written. It seems like evaluating biopics is more subjective than most other kinds of film. For instance, I liked Ferrari. Why? Because Adam Driver owns the “two objects can’t occupy the same space” scene. Yet Cooper owns the conducting long take scene and I don’t care.
@rafaelcruz9973 It’s not too late to review it, I kinda wish he’d review it because he clearly has feelings about it. But what can you do Personally wasn’t a fan of the movie (story and twist just didn’t work for me) but I’m open to seeing it again
ه Maestro Poor script and empty story..becase they make the film just a (romance ) story. Great acting and dirction and make up. But the story talk about normal love story... Not about life of maestro Or another important lines of his life. They foucus about shape more than supject. Bad story..and they have nothing to said about character in film. Thank you for reviowing ⚘⚘💛💛💛💛⚘⚘
Murphy and Giamatti are scooping up all the precursor critics awards. I think Cooper is out of the running for Best Actor. Especially as the movie is getting mixed reviews on YT and elsewhere like imdb.
The Bradley Cooper hate on Twitter is really strange, he is just a very dedicated and determined performer, who yes probably does really want an Oscar. And I mean I don’t think this performance should win the Oscar over Cillian Murphy or Paul Giamatti and personally I preferred Carey Mulligan in this film, however it’s still a fantastic performance and people are making it seem like a crime that he’s in contention to win it this year
The acting was totally forced and fake and the story was told in an unengaging way. The gimmicky editing didn't help. You guys don't know what good acting is. Good acting is when you don't feel an awareness of "acting". Duh!
All performance were great in my opinion, I just wished they had spent a little more time on West Side Story and his other musical endeavors West Side Story has so much importance in so many people's lives, excluding that I think was a mistake.
The best way to describe this movie is that its SO PAINFULLY OBVIOUS YOU ARE WATCHING PEOPLE ACTING IN MOVIE. THIS THING IS SO ARTIFICIAL AND PHONYYYYYY
I would agree what made this not my favorite of the year was that it essentially was a film that glorified a man that was bad to his wife. Yes he was there for her in the end but mistreated her all her life. And how unhealthy that relationship was for her. That doesn't take away from the acting which was superb. The styling was interesting. Not the best of the year for me but also wouldn't be mad if they won Oscar's for those performances.
We had already heard enough stories of wives dismissed, forgotten, manipulated, deceived and cheated on. There’s nothing new in the wife’s story of a grand man. But Bradley Cooper absolutely ignores what it felt like for Bernstein to live a lie for the society that hates his true colours, to hide his real identity behind the curtains of a “socially appropriate” straight man, to annihilate himself even before his own family. In this movie, there’s not a single scene of Bernstein in a bed with any man making love. Cooper made it seem as if Lenny wasn’t even gay. But at the end of the film, when the main character leaves Felicia for a young boy, Bradley turns it around and creates a drama for the woman (with whom we certainly need to sympathise in Cooper’s eyes) instead of showing us this scene as a joyful moment for Lenny to accept and love himself by dismissing anti-gay labels of society. You know, while I was watching the film, I couldn’t understand - why in the life of this man, in the movie about him, the story doesn’t dive into his own world of being a suppressed gay who lives in the closet, but it only shows us a disappointedly shallow story of his life as an exclusively straight man.
Loved the acting, sound, cinematography, ESPECIALLY the editing, directing, makeup, and I thought it was well written. But for whatever reason it just never really connected with me. I never felt like I fully understood their relationship or what makes Bernstein a good composer. While I think it was an interesting character study it sort of failed as a biopic, which is what I really wanted out of this. So while I appreaciated almost every aspect of this film I just personally have to give it a 7/10
I know it won’t happen but I’d love to see Anatomy of a Fall and/or Zone of Interest take its place and get nominated for BP/Screenplay. Cooper will get an Actor nom for sure and likely for directing also.
The movie is technically beautiful, but emotionally hollow. The marriage has no passion, the affairs have even less passion, the family interaction is wooden, and any threat to his career isn't expressed beyond anything superficial. Cooper is good, but not much above a Malik-like impersonation. Even Mulligan seems somewhat bored until it's time for her character to die. I am extremely disappointed with this movie mostly because of the script and what it chose to cover...and mostly what it chose to omit. It's at best a 6.5 for me...most of that because of technical achievement. The script is a big let down to me. I was bored for too long.
I absolutely loved the directing, the cinematography, the acting, and the music of course. The fight scene was great. I enjoyed the movie more from a technical standpoint and relating to their romance on a certain personal level due to my life experiences rather than being in awe of the movie itself. I agree with Justin completely about Bradley doing a great job with the "inner work" while acting, and I also really loved the Mahler scene.
The last 10 minutes where Bernstein is teaching a student were the most compelling of the film to me and I wish the movie had been about that and his passion for music rather than the tired "woman behind the man" trope. I feel like Cooper just remade A Star is Born, same tropes, just a lot prettier. It's like he really wants his movies to say something, but the end result is always surface-level.
Why is Bernstein's lower back always hurting? And why does the movie make a point to bring this up over and over and OVER again? Asking for a friend...
I agree with the 7/10 score. The craft is exquisite but I found the story a bit flat. And yes where was the passion for the music? I feel _A Star Is Born_ was more successful at delivering the two later points, which is what is more resonant for "average" viewers unschooled in the craft of film.
Are people making Bradley Cooper a villain because he spent six years working on conducting? Maybe I misunderstood the discussion around the six minute mark.
I can’t wait to see how this Best Actor race goes between Cooper and Murphy. Could it be a two horse race or one of them sweeps? It would be interesting to see another two horse race this year after Fraser and Butler. I think Murphy could win GG Drama and BAFTA or Cooper could win CC and SAG. Cooper is overdue for a win and Murphy is coming for his first nomination, giving an incredible lead performance in a Nolan film whom he frequently collaborated with as a supporting actor.
Fun Fact: Leonard Bernstein has 7 Emmy Awards, 2 Tony Awards, 16 Grammy Awards and a nomination for an Oscar.. He was almost Egot.. Bradley Cooper has Nominations in EGOT(except for an Emmy)and had won 2 Grammys. This will be bradley coopers 10th and Maybe 11th Nomination so its obviosly his year.
Yet another RU-vid movie review that mispronounces the name of the subject of the movie! BernSTINE, NOT BernsSTEEN!! Leonard Bernstein is one of the most highly acclaimed American musicians ever. His name is pronounced correctly throughout the movie that you have reviewed and neither of you picked up on this!
I think a great deal of the nitpicking of Cooper comes from this: He's one of his generation's best. And as an actor, that's been true for a while, but now that he's directing, he's elevating to a whole other stratosphere. And here's what really gets his haters... He isn't just a good director, he's a GREAT one. His visuals are often stunning, a word that gets used too often but that I really mean here. When I talk about him with folks who don't like him, it almost always boils down to them feeling like he's risen above his station, though they always find clever ways to say it. I think he's INCREDIBLE at several aspects of filmmaking and some folks can't stand it.
I loved Lenny but movie was ok better yhan average read his biography dint think it sas great love story he actually left her in real life dont thin6 they had a great love story
Didn’t notice Bernstein was a gay man married to a woman when that’s what society demanded? Didn’t notice how the filmmaker made his homosexuality commentary about decadence instead of anguish. Every wonder why anguish is so closely associated with great artists?
I must be in a parallel universe. I thought this film was so awful it was hilarious. The ridiculous accents, the appalling aging make-up, the constantly talking over each other to make the bland dialogue feel authentic but having the opposite effect, zero insight into the dynamic beauty of Bernstein’s music. Just tedious, shameless Oscar fodder complete with homosexuality as a disability and the exploitative death from a disease. Same as meet the Ricardos, they took a genius in his/her field and turned their life into dour, excruciating, boring melodrama.
5:30 FUCKIN THANK YOU. He literally created this movie entirely from the ground up and people just hate on him for ‘trying hard’ whereas he’s putting in genuine work. Unlike Cillian, not everyone has the privilege of being directed by Christopher Nolan - Bradley had to do everything himself here.
So you’re saying that working as a producer, writer and director of the movie should be taken into consideration in your performance as an actor?? 🤔 because it really seemed like you said Cillian deserves less because he didn’t have to direct himself ?!?!
@@kristinaant6239 I haven’t seen Maestro yet, but so far Cillian is by far my favorite male lead performance of the year. And I’m waiting for years to see Cooper win an Oscar, but let’s see…
If you put Cillian or even Colman, Paul, Jeffrey, Andrew, Barry or Leonardo in the conversation, it's unvalid to giving him credit as a writer, producer or director to elevate him because he is on the acting field only to compare him with his peers; just irrelevant and completely subjective to called him superior or inferior when it's only about his acting or the other men's
@@98LucasFG It's less about that and more about how people are shitting on Bradley Cooper for directing his own performance in his own film and arguing that's somehow why he shouldn't win obviously I won't be mad if Cillian wins, but shitting on Bradley's authentic work based on that perspective is unreasonable and unfair
Another American biopic. Well done sure, but really, who cares? Mimicry and impersonation is never inspired. Plus everyone is tortured. Where my biopic? Where are yours?
This was terrible. Why does Hollywood celebrate such jerks as Bernstein? Bad choice by Cooper. I get Bernstein accomplished great things career wise, but addiction and affairs made him a not so great guy personally. I also think Mulligans' character and Bernsteins' real life wife was very weak willed to stay with him. I hope neither wins the Oscar. I would rather have seen Mulligan win for Promising Young Woman, not this poor role.
The movie is a masterpiece that will be studied for decades. Those needing to be spoon-fed will be challenged. Cooper is the performance of the year, for me. Mulligan is outstanding. Picture should get MANY nominations and awards.
This movie doesn't know what it wants to be ...This review does the same .Lennies gay affairs which he tried to conceal is not even mentioned I think Lennies unwillingness to be honest with himself and those around him show a very problematic side of his character...I think the movie attempts to show Lennies duplicity but it ends up unsure of how to do this because Bradley Cooper isc too enthralled in dipicting an icon ..
