It’s the holidays. You’ve been very good. You deserve a nice two-hour biopic about Leonard Bernstein, and you shall have one, dear boy: Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan.
Leonard Bernstein was so much more than just one of the many aspects of the world as we know it that R.E.M. once claimed that we were at the end of. He was also arguably the foremost American composer of the 20th century, with a mile-long list of recognizable songs and a complicated personal history. The guy was begging for an arthouse, awards season biopic, and that’s exactly what writer/director/star Bradley Cooper aims to give him with Maestro.
There’s a slim chance that you’ve already seen the picture, as it opened at the 80th Venice International Film Festival back in September of 2023 to critical acclaim. For anyone not in Italy, there are other options.
When does Maestro start streaming?
Maestro is currently set for a limited theatrical release starting November 22, with more locations offering it in the weeks that follow. A month later, on December 20, the biopic hits streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Described as “a towering and fearless love story,” Maestro examines Bernstein’s life through the lens of his marriage to actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. The pair had a famously complex relationship, becoming engaged in 1946, breaking things off, then marrying in 1951. Adding to the difficulties facing any couple in the public eye, Bernstein was reportedly almost compulsively unfaithful, pursuing trysts with both men and women across their nearly 27-year marriage. It’s the sort of story that filmmakers refer to as having “Bohemian Rhapsody, but good” potential.