Chronicling the life & career of the famous American musician Leonard Bernstein, Maestro is a competently crafted & wonderfully photographed biographical drama that features committed performances from its leading actors along with some impressive make-up effects but the film as a whole is so desperate for attention & appreciation that everything about its execution has an inorganic & inauthentic feel to it. More an overview of a legacy than a deconstruction of the legend, Bradley Cooper's rendition of Bernstein is hollow in the sense that it has his physicality but not the heart, soul, passion & love for music that was evident in his showmanship.
In fact, the brief footage of a Leonard Bernstein performance that plays during the end credits exhibits a much better understanding of his relationship with music than whatever Cooper was doing for the entirety of the picture.
In fact, the brief footage of a Leonard Bernstein performance that plays during the end credits exhibits a much better understanding of his relationship with music than whatever Cooper was doing for the entirety of the picture.