Maestro (2023)

Maestro

• Directed, starring, and written by Bradley Cooper. Produced by Bradley Cooper. Produced by Martin Scorsese. Produced by Steven Spielberg. That helps explain why this movie is so good. There are very few flaws I can find. I don’t even know where to start. From a personal perspective, I’ve always loved Leonard Bernstein and his work. I mean, have you ever listened to his version of “Rhapsody in Blue”, or seen ‘West Side Story’ (1961)? You can hear his genius just by those alone. Also, hearing his pieces as a kid, and then growing up to realize Brian Wilson was inspired by those exact same ones? It blows my mind, and makes me love Leonard even more. I say all that to say this: watching this movie was an exciting privilege, and I’m so glad Leonard’s story was able to be shared. Bradley Cooper did a knock-out job in directing and starring in this movie. In my eyes, both he and the movie itself deserve Oscars. I don’t necessarily want to talk about the plot, mostly because it’s a rollercoaster of love, trust, and music, and one should experience it for yourself. I wish there could’ve been a couple more orchestra scenes, but the ones we got were so ridiculously awesome. The scene in the Ely Cathedral was, for me, the greatest scene of the movie, and arguably my favorite movie scene from 2023. My eyes were wide open the entire time. It was mind-blowingly beautiful. The whole cast was beautiful as well. Obviously, as mentioned, Bradley Cooper does so well, and his Oscar-worthy performance will certainly be remembered in the future. That goes for Carey Mulligan as well. She was quiet in many scenes, but when she spoke, she’s all you could concentrate on. The magnitude of her and Bradley’s presence on screen was fantastic. The music was powerful and perfect, just like the cast. Not just the concert scenes, but the entire score. Throwing in pieces of Bernstein’s actual music, with the inclusion of “Shout” by Tears for Fears, was just a great blend. I just love classical music so much. It’s literal art. Finally, the cinematography was stunning, and some of the best of the year. From the black and white to the color, it was all sharp and crisp, while still having that old, fuzzy look from the 40's, all the way to the 80’s. That will make more sense once you see this. Overall, this movie was amazing, and I seriously can’t wait to watch it again. I’d highly recommend this to all drama/biopic/musical fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!