Has the film “Maestro”, Bradley Cooper’s biopic on Leonard Bernstein, won over Netflix subscribers? We take stock with the ratings of AlloCiné spectators.
Released on Netflix on December 20, Maestro is Bradley Cooper’s second film as director. He himself plays the main role, that of Leonard Bernstein, in a biopic which is intended to be intimate and focuses more on the private life of the conductor and composer, and his married life with his wife Felicia Montealegre.
The story follows Leonard and Felicia over four decades, from the 1940s to the 1980s. Bradley Cooper aims to tell the entire love story between Leonard and Felicia (Carey Mulligan), from their meeting until the death of the latter. A turbulent love story during which Leonard Bernstein never renounced his bisexuality by having several adventures with men.
Was Maestro, considered a prestige Netflix film with a release at the end of the year, appreciated by the first subscribers who watched it during the Christmas holidays? If the press gives it an average rating of 3.9 out of 5, the public is a little more severe with an average rating from spectators of 3.4 out of 5.
“I was waiting for a biopic that retraced his musical career, but apart from a few flashes like Mahler’s 2nd symphony in Ely Cathedral, this career is barely discussed.” comments Françoise Devaux who gives it just average with 2.5 out of 5. She adds: “So yes it’s rather well filmed, yes it’s rather well acted but I’m left wanting more.“
“Difficult to get into this biopic, the choice of black and white? Interest perhaps? Yet a good cast, which gives itself, nevertheless this unfolding of the plot did not really grab me.” regrets Spider cineman.
“What a desappointment ! I thought I would see a film about a music expert, the conductor, the composer, the performer, I hoped to understand his work, understand his passion, understand his transmission.” said Philhag in this other comment from those spectators who were confused by the choice of Bradley Cooper and his co-writer Josh Singer to angle their story on Bernstein’s private life.
After A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper proves his talent for directing with Maestro. He signs a powerful, exciting, creative biopic.
But other spectators were seduced. “Maestro fortunately remains far from hagiography or programmatic biopic, avoiding compiling the great moments of his career (West Side Story is, for example, quickly evoked in 1 line of dialogue or a musical theme), preferring above all to concentrate on the man and his intimacy.” rejoices Naughty Dog, which gives the film a 4 out of 5.
“Intimate portrait of two tortured artists […] inseparable from each other, MAESTRO transcends […] the composer’s work […]” underlines CINETIM, with a rating of 5 out of 5, which adds: “It is an understatement to say that the film is an extraordinary cinematic experience carried by the virtuosity of its production. Visually, the film is perfect.“
“With Maestro, he seeks to prove that the success of his first film, A Star Is Born (2018), was not a coincidence.” says Culturevsnews which gives it a rating of 4.5 out of 5. And concludes: “Maestro is a complex and ambitious film, captivating despite some flaws, and marks a significant milestone in Bradley Cooper’s career.“
Maestro is of course still available on Netflix if you wish to form your own opinion and share it on the AlloCiné website.