Maestro (2023) on Netflix
In 1943, Leonard Bernstein, 25, is the New York Philharmonic's assistant conductor. When the guest conductor falls ill, Leonard takes over. He falls for the actress Felicia Montealegre.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.5/1070,178 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes78%
Trailer
Plot summary
The New York Philharmonic's assistant conductor in 1943 is Leonard Bernstein, 25. When the guest conductor falls ill, Leonard takes his place on short notice, and the reception his conducting receives makes him famous. He has been in an on-and-off relationship with the clarinetist David Oppenheim, but at a party he meets Felicia Montealegre, an actress just starting out, and the two begin dating. Leonard breaks things off with David, who accepts the decision unhappily. Leonard and Felicia marry and have three children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Maestro (2023)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Bradley Cooper's large prosthetic nose for playing the Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein was criticized as "Jewface" after photographs from the set appeared in May 2023 and the trailer was released in August.
- Leonard Bernstein's children defended Cooper's prosthetic makeup, saying they worked with him throughout the filmmaking process and that their "dad would have been fine with it".
- Jeremy Strong joined the cast as John Gruen in October 2020, but dropped out because of scheduling conflicts, and Josh Hamilton was cast in his place.
- Kazu Hiro began with a prosthetic treatment that was, in Cooper's words, "totally Lenny", but Cooper felt it did not look real, so they created a hybrid between Bernstein's and Cooper's faces.
- Maestro became the first film to hold a premiere at the new David Geffen Hall, with a gala screening in the New York Film Festival's spotlight program on October 2, 2023.
- Bradley Cooper became the fifth person to direct himself to a Best Actor nomination more than once; he had first done so with A Star Is Born (2018).
