Leonard Bernstein's contributions to movies (not to mention classical music in general) have been numerous. He served as the composer for classic movies like On the Waterfront and West Side Story, as well as being a connection to Cate Blanchett's character Lydia Tár in the 2022 movie TÁR (kudos to his estate for having some fun with that nod.) Well, Bernstein is now getting his own movie in the form of Maestro.
The 2023 new movie, which hails from Netflix, is one of the streamer's Oscar plays for the year, with Bradley Cooper directing his follow-up to the Oscar-nominated and box office hit A Star Is Born.
With all that in mind, here is everything you need to know about Maestro.
How to watch Maestro
Maestro is now streaming on Netflix. It is still playing in select movie theaters if you are interested in seeing it on the big screen. Get more details with our how to watch Maestro guide.
Maestro plot
Maestro is set to tell the story of Leonard Bernstein, particularly his relationship with his wife and how that impacted his work. Here is the official synopsis from Netflix:
"Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love."
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer are the credited co-writers for the movie.
Maestro cast
Cooper is doing it all for Maestro — directing, writing, producing and starring as the all-time great composer. This is the third movie for Cooper in 2023, having once again voiced Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and appearing in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Cooper is also known for his Oscar-nominated performances in A Star Is Born, American Sniper, American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook.
Playing Bernstein's wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein is Oscar-nominated actress Carey Mulligan. She was most recently seen in the movie She Said, but among her other well-known roles are Promising Young Woman, Mudbound, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Great Gatsby, Drive and An Education.
The rest of the cast is quite an impressive collection, as the likes of Matt Bomer (The Boys in the Band), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Sarah Silverman (Marry Me), Josh Hamilton (The Last Thing He Told Me), Sam Nivola (White Noise), Alexa Swinton (And Just Like That…) and Miriam Shor (Younger) all star in the film.
Maestro trailer
Netflix has released the official trailer for Maestro, offering our best looks yet and the performances from Cooper and Mulligan. Take a look directly below:
You can also watch the previously released teaser trailer right here:
Maestro reviews
Maestro was a fixture at fall film festivals, where many critics offered their first takes on the movie with reviews, but now that the movie is being released, more have weighted in and a general consensus has bee reached.
As of December 20, Maestro is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 81%. Check out some thoughts from those who have seen it directly below:
Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph: "When we critics complain that studio pictures don’t take risks any more, Maestro is exactly the sort of film we wish they’d make instead. Not everything in it lands cleanly, but even its misses excite, and its direct hits are knockouts."
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: "A soaring crescendo into sorrow."
Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International: "Maestro is honest about the larger-than-life flaws of its central character, and Cooper is impressive in the role."
Maestro awards
Here are the major awards and nominations that Maestro has earned to date:
Oscars
- Best Picture (nominee)
- Best Actor — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Best Actress — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
- Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
- Best Cinematography (nominee)
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling (nominee)
- Best Sound (nominee)
BAFTA Film Awards
- Best Leading Actor — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Best Leading Actress — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
- Best Director — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
- Best Cinematography (nominee)
- Best Makeup & Hair (nominee)
- Best Sound (nominee)
Golden Globes
- Best Motion Picture Drama (nominee)
- Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture Drama — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
- Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture Drama — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Best Director — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
American Film Institute
- Top 10 Motion Picture of the Year
Critics Choice Awards
- Best Picture (nominee)
- Best Actor — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Best Actress — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
- Best Director — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Best Original Screenplay (nominee)
- Best Cinematography (nominee)
- Best Editing (nominee)
- Best Hair and Makeup (nominee)
London Critics' Circle Awards
- Actress of the Year — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
- Actor of the Year — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- British/Irish Performer of the Year — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
National Board of Review
- Top 10 Films of the Year
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role — Bradley Cooper (nominee)
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role — Carey Mulligan (nominee)
Venice Film Festival
- Golden Lion (nominee)
- Queer Lion (nominee)
Bradley Cooper directs Maestro
Bradley Cooper makes his second feature directorial effort with Maestro. His previous movie was the acclaimed and heavily award-nominated update to A Star Is Born, in which he also pulled double duty as director and star as he does with Maestro.
