‘Maestro’ parents guide, explained

Maestro is one of many front-running films for the 2023-2024 awards season. It scored four Golden Globe and eight Critics Choice Award nominations, and is currently shortlisted in almost every category for the upcoming Academy Awards.

The Leonard Bernstein biopic is written, directed, and led by Bradley Cooper, and the film focuses on the famed composer’s marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan. For those planning a viewing party with family or younger viewers, here’s what adults need to know before streaming the movie on Netflix.

Maestro age rating

Maestro has an ‘R’ rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). According to MPAA rules, children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult, typically a parent or guardian. Unlike the highest rating under the MPAA, NC-17, which prohibits under-17s from seeing a movie outright, younger moviegoers are still permitted to see Maestro. For adults accompanying children, they may wish to read up on content flagged by the MPAA to be more mature.

Maestro parents’ guide

Maestro mostly earned its R rating due to its more adult themes and language, as well as some potentially upsetting scenes, as well as its depiction of drug use.

In terms of adult themes and language, many references to sexual activity are made, mostly in conversations about Leonard Bernstein’s numerous extramarital affairs with men. However, there are no sex or nude scenes in the film, and the strongest sexual reference shows Cooper playfully slapping a lover’s (clothed) buttocks. There are occasional uses of swear words, but these are few and far between, and are relatively mild compared to most R-rated movies.

As for upsetting scenes, Leonard Bernstein briefly discusses an adolescent fantasy about murdering his father, but the dialogue lacks explicit detail, and no violence is shown on screen at any time during the film. Towards the end of the biopic, Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre, finds out she is dying of cancer, and her final weeks of living are depicted on screen. While these scenes are not gory in any way and no medical procedures are shown, these highly emotional scenes may be upsetting or even triggering for some viewers.

The most explicitly adult scene in the film involves one where Bernstein is seen snorting cocaine at a party with some fellow drug users, although this scene is brief. As the film takes place predominately in the early 20th century, tobacco use is shown throughout, as was common at the time. Alcohol use is shown, but is very limited.

In terms of suitability for children, Maestro is mostly suitable for older children and teenagers. Even outside of its moderate adult content, the film is mostly made up of scenes involving conversations surrounding mature themes, and smaller children would most likely be uninterested or unable to understand.