By Gary

A fascinating insight in a great American composer, Maestro provides touching and heartfelt performances.

This love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan).

A story that spans over 30 years-from the time they met in 1946 at a party and continuing through two engagements, a 25 year marriage, and three children.

Warning if you are looking for a fast-paced film this is not for you.

Maestro is a fascinating insight into the life of one of America’s greatest music conductors/composers of all time, Leonard Bernstein American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian.

Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to receive international acclaim.

I thought the two lead actors Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan give a really touching and heartfelt performance.

Also directing Cooper balances his roles well along with makeup doing a convincing facial transformation to look enough like Bernstein.

For me, the story belongs to Bernstein’s wife Felicia (Mulligan) the wife of a bisexual man in the middle of the last century was problematic.

He is a man who is always center-stage, and for whom she gave up a promising career to raise their children, support her husband, and who suffers in silence until she can suffer silently no longer.

What this film struggles with, is the interest level. A lot will go over modern audience’s heads.

Simply because we know him as the guy who did the music to West Side Story and even that is stretching it for some people.

Cooper doesn’t focus his energy on that rather it is a love story of a woman who fell for a gay guy.

This would’ve been interesting 30 years ago, now not as intriguing.

My Rating: 6/10