Following up his acclaimed directorial debut with the recent remake of A Star is Born, actor-turned auteur Bradley Cooper once again brings us a music-themed movie with classic Hollywood connections in the form if this biopic of acclaimed composer Leonard Bernstein. He also gives himself the lead role because… well, you would, wouldn’t you?
How to watch Maestro in New Zealand
Maestro is now streaming exclusively on Netflix in New Zealand.
Maestro (2023)
What is Maestro about?
Maestro follows the entire span of Bernstein’s life and career, focussing on his complicated relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre, here played by the great Carey Mulligan. Bernstein, who was bisexual, carried on affairs with various men over the course of their marriage, and the fraught drama of the couple’s personal life runs in parallel with his stellar Broadway and Hollywood career.
The cast of Maestro
In addition to Cooper and Mulligan, Matt Bomer is clarinettist David Oppenheim, Bernstein’s lover; Sarah Silverman is Shirley Bernstein, the composer’s sister; Maya Hawke plays daughter Jamie, and Vincenzo Amato, Greg Hildreth, Michael Urie, Brian Klugman, Nick Blaemire, Mallory Portnoy, Yasen Peyankov, Zachary Booth, Miriam Shor, Gideon Glick, Josh Hamilton, June Gable, and Alexa Swinton round out the supporting cast.
Behind the camera, it’s worth noting that Cooper picked up the reins to this one after both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg pulled out of directing, with the elder statesmen of cinema still on board in a producing capacity. Not bad for your second film.
Maestro trailer
What the critics are saying about Maestro?
Responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with awards season buzz starting pretty much the second the first teaser dropped, and Cooper and Mulligan generally regarded as a lock for acting and, in the former’s case, directing nominations. Still, that fake nose has drawn some ire, but it doesn’t seem to have done the film any damage.
