Except for Mahler and a mention of Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony in a the lecture scene, the movie ignored the repertoire that Bernstein performed, including the fact that he helped garner the incredible popularity that Mahler’s music enjoys today.

Well I just told Netflix to "Remind me" when it come out! Thanks for the recommendation!

Hi James - Just Discovered you via this review. Just saw a screening of this & your review is right on the money. Love Bernstein and rode in the elevator with him when going to my shrink on West End Ave.a handful of times in the mid 80s. I did not KNOW the man, but met him and he was a very friendly, lovely guy.I really would have loved a better representation of this man's GREAT music also agree 100% on his score for OTW. I think you're a great reviewer and a real pro in KZfaqs sea of amateur content......

I feel as if "Mank" will be a good comp for this. And I loved "Mank."

Okay, what's really interesting is the 6 minutes of Gustav Mahler symphony no. 2 finale. I guess if nothing else, it will be presented to the masses for the first time and that's good. Furthermore, Cooper from what I've heard, acts out the dramatic ending of that concert. I wonder if you can shed some light on that considering you've seen the film. If it is the case, based on watching the original concert, it will be interesting if Cooper captured that finale. If he did, to me, it's worthy of an Oscar and according to some, it was 6 years of practice with the magic wand for Brad. To be honest, the life of Herbert Von Karajan would have been been a much more interesting bio-pick... the struggle with the Nazi party to his dictatorship of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra... nonetheless, the man's work is amazing.

Thanks for this thoughtful detailed review. I agree with a lot of what you say. Re: Bradley Cooper's performance, I almost think it would have been stronger without the prosthetic nose. He managed to move and sound so much like Lenny. Did we really need the nose? Some of the most memorable scenes for me in terms of the strength of his directing were the wide shots held for the whole scene with Cooper and Mulligan relating, delivering sharp and compelling performances that never felt like Acing with a capital-A.

Is it me, or in the b&w scenes did Cooper’s prosthetic nose seem to be a different color than his face? It really stood out to these eyes? Had a hard time getting past it. The lighting didn’t do it any favors

I looked away from the movie for a few minutes and thought it was jimmy fallon talking

I tend towards individuals rather than agencies when it comes to news and reviews and this guy has my utmost respect, more so than any IGNs or even Empire (I’m English) and just wish he had a bigger platform. I honestly think If he hit u Fiverr and spent a couple hundred dollars on a proper intro his subscriber count would increase at a higher rate

The movie was very good. The acting was superb as was the direction. Rhe prosthetics were excellent. There were times when it was hard to tell whether it was Cooper or Bernstein he looked so much like him. I would have liked to have seen more of the musical process especially Westside Story. The music was wonderful. I highly recommend it.

You mentioned the accents bothering you in this movie. Just a heads up - I’m from the area of Oklahoma where Killers of the Flower Moon takes place. My guess is that the actors’ accents will really annoy viewers of KOTFM. But I assure that Leonard DiCaprio and Jesse Plemmons’ accents are accurate.

I recommend seeing this film in a theatre if you can There are big visuals and sounds that come to life.

ok, two things come to mind (up to the 8:05 mark). 1) you talk about Cooper and "Acting" when it comes to the later parts, but my impression is you're looking at the film, but not looking at Bernstein. Bernstein actually sounds like that and changed like that. Especially into the 80s, almost every public appearance was enhanced, exaggerated even. Music critics at the time noted that he wasn't the same 'Lenny' of the NYPO era. To get through to the European orchestras he was conducting (Vienna and Berlin in particular, but also the LSO and the Israeli), he had to become pretentious. He had to stop being "Lenny" and put on this persona of 'Leonard" to ensure he had their respect and this carried through to many of his interviews from that period. So I can't fault Cooper for changing the voice, the tone, the public "character" of the later years - because that's exactly what Bernstein himself did. To have not presented a different voice and persona, to have stayed "Cooper", might have held up for some level of continuity...but betrayed the character as we know him in real life. I get that's a hard call, but from someone who has watched so much video of Bernstein over the years, anything less would have broken me out of the moment.

James! The new Exorcist was a huge piece of shit but I’m still interested to hear your thoughts. You going to upload a review or not even worth it?

It his second time directing so even if he don’t win his Oscar,him trying new things as a director is okay but as long as he has good teachers teaching him as he learns cuz something’s you can’t just learn in the fly.

A fabulous film IF you have background in the other people in the film, like Aaron Copland, Jerry Robbins, Kousevitsky, Condem and Green, et al, as well as familiarity with the music, from tgeater, movies, and concert hall. Having taught university courses on all of those and Bernstein, I LOVED THE FILM AND WATCHED IT AGAIN. however, that will not be the experience of most of the audience members, who will come away often feeling meh.

My principal problem with this movie is that, at the end i can't stop wondering, What its this movie about? What its the plot? Who found interesting this marriage? Wasn't more interesting the history of the career of this man? I don't know too much about Bernstein and i remain the same after seeing this movie. I didn't win anything seen this movie. All looks amazing and i aprecciate this, but it's not enough. A movie it's more than the cinematography.

The movie focuses on the relationship between LB and FMB but it's not about that. It's about people's struggle to be who they are, especially when society does not allow it. During the movie, which had to span four decades, LB gets told he can't be so Jewish, he can't do pursue many different kinds of music, he can't be gay. He wants children and he loves his children, but he can't be honest with them. There's a very short scene of him and Copland sitting under a tree. LB is holding his newborn child while Copland admires the baby. It's breathtaking and tragic. It's only seconds long but it's critical to the film. The ballet sequence (shot beautifully, kudos to the DP, Matthew Libatique) is another good example of Cooper's brilliance as he refuses to follow the pattern of a traditional biopic by adding an element of musical theater. It couldn't be a better nod to the theme of the film and it doesn't hit anyone over the head. If you haven't seen the film in a theater, make the effort to do so. There's so much more to see and talk about (all of Act III). IMO, this is the best film of the year. It's an instant classic.

So it looks like Oscar night will be the battle of the chain smokers! In the blue corner its Oppenheimer. In the red corner Bernstein. Both films are great!

Lenny acted with a Capital A , and was over the top, flamboyant. Cooper didnt go too far. He toned it down somewhat. Lenny never did.

Cooper merece no mínimo dois Oscar Melhor Diretor e Melhor ator, ele mesmo pois está o máximo.

Cooper's fake nose ought to get an Oscar nomination.

Question: How many times per minute can James utter the phrase "I feel like"? So much feeling, so little thought.

Great video but the critique on his voice sounding distracting or not correct is wrong. LB's voice sounded put on in real life. He literally sounds like he wants to sound more sophisticated than he was actually brought up. Cooper nailed the accent. Watch some interviews of LB and you'll see what I'm talking about.

After so much broo-ha-ha, it better get several Oscars.

Elooo Hello!

Oscar bait trash . Makeup on old Leonard was really good and the composing scene was alright, everything else was boring and bland

Beautifully acted, well directed, but very pretentious

Maestro is a film that is pure class. 👌🏻

Very very very fast talking. So much is going down the drain. What a shame -don't you think, less is more? Still, thank you for the effort

' fair and equitable' review/commentary? I would say, conservatively speaking, that perhaps 75% or more of your diatribe is if not overly, then covertly, negative. Put your money where your mouth is friend !

Any gay sex in the film?