'Maestro' review: Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein biopic is bold, captivating

WHAT IT’S ABOUT In the mid-1940s, a young composer named Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) is writing “Fancy Free,” the Jerome Robbins ballet that would morph into the Broadway hit “On the Town.” Leonard isn’t famous — yet — and his life is a giddy whirlwind of rehearsals, late-night drinks and handsome men in his bed. He could probably go on like this forever except for one thing: He’s on a path to becoming a proper symphony conductor, maybe the first great one America would produce. He’s told that such a figure must quit dabbling in Broadway. And it goes without saying that such a figure cannot possibly be gay.

Enter Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), a rising actor who radiates charm and intelligence. Leonard is instantly drawn to her, and not just because she looks good on his arm. They trade witticisms, then share secrets. A romance blossoms. “I know exactly who you are,” Felicia tells him. “Let’s give it a whirl.” It’s the start of a marriage and the launching of a career — and the end of another.

MY SAY Cooper’s second directing and writing effort (after 2018’s “A Star Is Born”), confirms him as a torchbearer of Hollywood’s Golden Age, when movies meant everything and had to be larger than life. “Maestro” isn’t the usual narrow, formulaic biopic, but a sweeping, stylish, grand-looking production (shot in both color and black-and-white by Cooper’s go-to cinematographer, Matthew Libatique). It’s also a human-sized drama about two people whose love defied easy categorization and lasted a lifetime.

“Maestro” begins as something close to a musical, with acrobatic camerawork, a brassy score (Bernstein’s own, curated by Cooper) and full-on dance numbers. Every line is a witticism with dahling this and teddibly that. It’s all a fantasy, and the film can’t sustain it — which is precisely the point. As Leonard’s affairs with men become too brazen for his wife’s comfort, the camera slows down and the dialogue hardens. Reality sets in.

Even as Leonard becomes one of the world’s most famous people , his closeted sexuality haunts him. When his daughter Jamie, played by an excellent Maya Hawke, confronts him about some troubling rumors, Leonard hesitates. With just a couple of words, he could be free — but is he brave enough to risk it? What Cooper does with this heart-stopping moment is one of the finest pieces of acting you’ll ever see.

Speaking of which, what are Cooper’s Oscar chances? According to lore, his prosthetic nose (initially criticized as antisemitic, until Bernstein’s family publicly defended it) could help him win a statue. Prosthetics helped Nicole Kidman win for “The Hours” and Gary Oldman win for “Darkest Hour” (the makeup artist who worked on him, Kazu Hiro, also worked on Cooper). Nose or no, Cooper is extraordinary as Bernstein: Funny, charming and a little superficial but, once atop a podium, ferociously alive.

Meanwhile, Felicia is steadily eclipsed, no longer striding across a stage but working behind the scenes as a wife and mother. But is her story a tragedy? Felicia herself doesn’t seem sure. Mulligan, in a beautifully delicate performance, always shows us the contentment and resentment in Felicia’s eyes.

The final scene that Leonard and Felicia share is nearly wordless but deeply moving. In a way, it’s “Maestro” in a nutshell — a gathering-up of two lives, both filled with love, happiness and regret.

BOTTOM LINE A captivating drama that’s big, bold and intimate all at once.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com