“Maestro” is almost at the podium.
The anticipated new feature from Bradley Cooper, which chronicles the life of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and his wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan), is in theaters on November 22 before hitting Netflix on December 20. And you can watch the brand-new trailer above.
What makes this trailer so gripping is that it showcases the epic sweep and scope of the story, which covers Leonard and Felicia’s romance and life together – even the way the camera moves suggests a conductor pulling the strings of an orchestra. (The cinematography is by Matthew Libatique, who shot “The Whale” and “Don’t Worry Darling” last year.) It’s the complicated relationship of Leonard and Felicia that seems to serve as the movie’s narrative engine, as the story of their lives (both public and hidden) unfolds alongside his artistic and humanitarian efforts.
“Maestro” has been long in development, with both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg circling the director’s chair at different points (they both retain a producer credit on the final film), before Cooper stepped in as co-writer (with “Spotlight” writer Josh Singer), producer, director and star. It is Cooper’s first film as a director since 2018’s Oscar-winning “A Star is Born.” Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman and Matt Bomer also star.
When the movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, it won rave reviews. Our own critic said that the movie “bolsters the writer/director/producer/star’s MO as a contemporary jack-of-all-trades with an Old Hollywood soul.” It is clearly being poised as a major contender for the end-of-year awards circuit and will next be screened as the closing night film at the American Film Institute’s AFI Fest later this week.
“Maestro” opens in select theaters on Nov. 22 and will be available on Netflix beginning on Dec. 20.