Maestro (Film)

[Teasing the Korean]

We watched Maestro last night.  While Bradley Cooper did a good job, I thought the film really failed at conveying who Bernstein was and what he accomplished.  They barely mentioned On the Waterfront or West Side Story.  It concentrated way too much on his personal life, to the detriment of his professional life.  It is now on Netflix.  Maybe worth watching, if you're already subscribing, but not necessarily worth paying for.

[T.D.]

Thanks. It's showing at a nearby cinema. Marginally considered going but wasn't much interested, think I will now pass. 

[JSngry]

13 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

We watched Maestro last night.  While Bradley Cooper did a good job, I thought the film really failed at conveying who Bernstein was and what he accomplished.  They barely mentioned On the Waterfront or West Side Story.  It concentrated way too much on his personal life, to the detriment of his professional life.  It is now on Netflix.  Maybe worth watching, if you're already subscribing, but not necessarily worth paying for.

Why would music be interesting? This is a movie about a person.

[Teasing the Korean]

36 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Why would music be interesting? This is a movie about a person.

😹 🥂

I had a similar reaction to the Dorothy Parker biopic with Jennifer Jason Leigh.  

[Mark Stryker]

I loved "Maestro" and would encourage anyone to see it. It is not a traditional biopic and that is a strength, not a weakness. Yes, it focuses on Bernstein's personal life -- it is a character study -- particularly his relationship with his wife, Felicia, and children and how he navigated this territory as a gay or bisexual man, born teacher, and an artist of the first order; and in some ways the film is as much about Felicia as it is about Lenny. You do get a real sense of Bernstein as an artist, as a vessel for music, and for the way he was pulled in many directions and that being so good at so many things was not always helpful to his psyche. The film is melancholy. There is a TON of great music throughout the picture but it is not a music history lesson. The film is not perfect but it is very good, sometimes great, often inventive. 

Edited January 1, 2024 by Mark Stryker

[sgcim]

2 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

We watched Maestro last night.  While Bradley Cooper did a good job, I thought the film really failed at conveying who Bernstein was and what he accomplished.  They barely mentioned On the Waterfront or West Side Story.  It concentrated way too much on his personal life, to the detriment of his professional life.  It is now on Netflix.  Maybe worth watching, if you're already subscribing, but not necessarily worth paying for.

That's all Hollywood seems to be interested in anymore.  It even supplied a Ken Russell moment, with the scene of the coke party towards the end.

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, Mark Stryker said:

I loved "Maestro" and would encourage anyone to see it. It is not a traditional biopic and that is a strength, not a weakness. Yes, it focuses on Bernstein's personal life -- it is a character study -- particularly his relationship with his wife, Felicia, and children and how he navigated this territory as a gay or bisexual man, born teacher, and an artist of the first order; and in some ways the film is as much about Felicia as it is about Lenny. You do get a real sense of Bernstein as an artist, as a vessel for music, and for the way he was pulled in many directions and that being so good at so many things was not always helpful to his psyche. The film is melancholy. There is a TON of great music throughout the picture but it is not a music history lesson. The film is not perfect but it is very good, sometimes great, often inventive. 

I agree with you, Mark.

I think it's a very powerful film, one that's fundamentally about the difficulties of relationships -- especially when they're with someone as charismatic, contradictory, and gifted as Leonard Bernstein.

[Teasing the Korean]

For a character study to work, I have to be invested in the the character, and if it is based on a real person, I have to be able to place that character into a larger context to fully appreciate the character study.  The film did not for me convey who Bernstein was, and his being gay and navigating a relationship with his wife and family did not produce a particularly compelling story. YM, as they say, MV.

[Ron S]

If you watch it on Netflix, you might want to turn on the closed captioning.  It identifies every piece of music used in the score, including the composer--more often than not, Bernstein himself.

[Teasing the Korean]

4 minutes ago, Ron S said:

If you watch it on Netflix, you might want to turn on the closed captioning.  It identifies every piece of music used in the score, including the composer--more often than not, Bernstein himself.

Yes, we did so, and I did see a number of his pieces.

[JSngry]

Maybe a movie about a complicated relationship has more appeal for people whose real life hasn't provided them with very many complicated relationships and it's kind of compelling to see a story about one up on the big screen? Or maybe to those who have had so many that they're just numb to it all by now? 

Maybe? 

What I might get a kick out of is Louis Armstrong making a Dolemite movie! Or Chris Rock doing a Louis Armstrong movie with Bing Crosby!! Or anything (including music!!!!!!!!!) with both facts AND truth and NO assumption-based agenda!!! Comedy so funny you'll forget how to laugh!!!! 

[jlhoots]

Excellent film. BTW, Carey Mulligan was superb.

[HutchFan]

32 minutes ago, jlhoots said:

Excellent film. BTW, Carey Mulligan was superb.

Yes, absolutely.  I'd even give her the nod over Bradley Cooper for the film's most impressive performance. 

 

[Brad]

35 minutes ago, jlhoots said:

Excellent film. BTW, Carey Mulligan was superb.

I can’t recall her ever making a bad movie.

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, jlhoots said:

Excellent film. BTW, Carey Mulligan was superb.

Agreed ....