Maestro (2024)

[Greg]

Bradley Cooper puts on the big nose and plays Leonard Bernstein over the course of his life from his first big break at 25 to a big concert later in life. And the film is told as a series of important vignettes without a lot of exposition. It's up to the viewer to fill in the unsaid blanks. There are big passages of music including one full scene of Bernstein conducting of a full piece. Bernstein is given credit for the music in the movie.

Get ready for a lot of smoking. Bernstein is never without a cigarette in his hand. Even later in his life when their are health problems, he continues to smoke and smoke and smoke.

A lot is made about Bernstein's bisexuality. But it seems as if he was a homosexual who loved a woman. I'm not up on the nomenclature. One of the biggest sources of tensions in the marriage are the affairs Bernstein has with other men that his wife turns a blind eye to. Or in some cases doesn't. Again, no explanations. Just here is what is happening.

Part of the film is Black and White. Part is in color. Cooper as director plays with the aspect ratio as well. Some pieces are in 4:3 and others go full wide screen. I'm not sure why he made the choices he did. I don't know what they added to the film.

[King Bob]

I got bored with this about fifteen minutes in and gave up. I had no idea who most of the characters were, and it seemed to be trying to hard to be arty.

[Greg]

I was ready to bail, too. So much arty. But I kind of needed to see if got better. It never did. But I did get into the rhythm of the piece and saw what Cooper was trying to do.

[Drunk Monk]

weird. 

I could've sworn that I reviewed this.

It was alright. It was what it was. I remember thinking that it felt like a calculated bid for the award shows. I guess that's akin to what Greg said about seeing what Cooper was trying to do. 

Sarah Silverman was in this, right? I liked her in a dramatic role.

[Greg]

Silverman was in it. She was odd.