FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/maestro-venice-film-festival-review-bradley-cooper-is-a-certified-talented-filmmaker/ "Maestro exceeds expectations, certifying Bradley Cooper as a filmmaker with innate talent, just like Leonard Bernstein, who the former portrays brilliantly. An inspirational biopic focused on an exponentially compelling romance elevated by emotionally genuine performances filled with intensely, passionately authentic interactions. Carey Mulligan joins the actor/director in the race for awards with a remarkable, spectacular display that will bring tears to even less sensitive viewers. Technically sublime, the conductor's music induces many chills in the audience through a story about love, family, artistic passion, and all the obstacles and dilemmas that arise from them." Rating: A-

I don't know if maybe "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018) or "Rocketman" (2019) have made me a bit immune to the rather hedonistic lifestyles of the musical rich and famous, but I found this beautifully photographed depiction of the life of the enigmatic Leonard Bernstein to be remarkably tame. The monochrome presentation is glorious to look at, but the narrative is weak, I found. Carey Mullian, his long-suffering wife Felicia Montealegre is easily the most meritorious of praise here. She portrays the increasingly frustrated, betrayed yet still loving woman with a strength and subtlety that is really engaging - especially towards the end of the film. Cooper, on the other hand - well, was he meant to be mimicking Barry Manilow or Tony Bennett? We learn very little about what made the man tick, about what made his sexuality such a big deal for him? The other characters come and go with little context to illustrate their roles in his life, his role in their's and with the possible exception of their eldest daughter Shirley (Sarah Silverman) there is no conversation to be had about just how this marriage of convenience was established or managed. It's also largely devoid of his most famous musical works. Aside from the tiniest interlude from "West Side Story" - which I know he didn't much care for - we could be forgiven for assuming that this was a biopic of a composer with high-brow classical aspirations but with little popular appeal. That said, there is a splendid rendition of Mahler's 2nd from the acoustically gorgeous Ely cathedral to savour, but otherwise this is all a rather underwhelming melodrama that really didn't tell me much that I didn't already know about this charismatic, selfish and flawed individual the fluctuating state of whose marriage was, frankly, of very little interest to me. More marital woes than maestro, sorry.