'Maestro' review: A sensational Bradley Cooper wields a mean baton as Leonard Bernstein

Maybe Bradley Cooper really missed his calling as a musician.

It’s clear Cooper can do a lot of things well, including writing, producing and acting – which he did for his 2019 Oscar best-picture nominee “A Star Is Born” and does again in the music drama “Maestro” (★★★ out of four; rated R; streaming Wednesday on Netflix). He proved he could carry a tune as a fictional country singer alongside Lady Gaga in “Star,” and now Cooper wields a conductor’s baton like an icon as Leonard Bernstein in his newest outing.

“Maestro” is a portrait of the artist as a conflicted man: The film follows the long relationship between Bernstein and his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), and how their love and marriage was tested by the legendary composer/conductor’s homosexual dalliances, hubris and insecurities. It’s a solid biopic that struggles to find a focus and feels somewhat incomplete, though is boosted by a sturdy performance from Mulligan and a sensational, Oscar-ready turn from Cooper.

Starting off in retro black and white, the movie begins with a major event in Bernstein’s musical life. In 1943, the 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic gets the call for his star-making moment at Carnegie Hall. His career ascends and the excitable Lenny meets Felicia at a party, finding an immediate bond as they share backstories and artistic interests.

They fall in love, and Felicia becomes his biggest fan, arguing that he should be composing more. “Why would you ever give this up?” she asks as three sailors dance in front of them in a dream fantasy set to Bernstein’s tunes from “On the Town.” “It’s not serious music,” he says. Ultimately, they get married and start a family in the early ‘50s, and he becomes well-known for works like “West Side Story” with Jerome Robbins (Michael Urie), yet Bernstein’s sister Shirley (Sarah Silverman) warns Felicia, “There’s a price for being in my brother’s orbit.”

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That pays off as the movie turns to color, their life moves into the 1960s and ‘70s, and Bernstein isn't as effective at hiding his same-sex romances. Early in his career, he has a pre-Felicia relationship with clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer), but when Bernstein’s attention turns to young new lover Tommy Cothran (Gideon Glick) and daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke) asks about rumors of her dad’s affairs, the dissonance grows loud as rifts form in the marriage.

“Maestro” is structured like a symphony, where different periods of their lives work together to create an overall picture exploring Bernstein’s ego and mind-set through professional success and personal strife. Yet it zooms through a lot of these life moments, often superficially. Meanwhile, certain interesting themes are left mostly unexplored, like Bernstein’s interactions with Robbins and Aaron Copland (Brian Klugman), or the fact that a mentor suggested he change his name to sound less Jewish so he can be “the first great American conductor.” 

But Cooper the actor makes up for those inconsistencies. He does a fine job navigating the youthful exuberance of early Bernstein alongside Mulligan’s equally magnetic Felicia. However, it’s later on – with the help of Oscar-winning prosthetics master Kazu Hiro (and a somewhat controversial nose) – where Cooper’s transformation into Bernstein really kicks in. Most stunning is a six-minute re-creation of a 1973 performance of Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony when Cooper becomes Bernstein, sweaty hair flailing and baton waving. (Rather than utilizing an original score, Cooper smartly pulls from Bernstein’s own works, including “West Side,” “Mass” and “Candide,” and at times even uses silence as a storytelling device.)

“Maestro” offers a counterpoint of sorts to last year’s “Tár.” Whereas Cate Blanchett’s look at a fictional conductor is a more insightful look at the complicated aspects of artistry, Cooper’s work succeeds in bringing an American legend to life while also examining his humanity.

And if Cooper wants to next tackle being a drummer or a tuba player, save us a ticket.

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