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Maestro is a 2023 American biographical romantic drama film that centers on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. It was directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he wrote with Josh Singer. It was produced by Cooper, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Fred Berner and Amy Durning. The film stars Carey Mulligan as Montealegre alongside Cooper as Bernstein; Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman appear in supporting roles.

Plans for a Leonard Bernstein biopic began in 2008, but languished in development hell for nearly a decade at Paramount Pictures. At various points both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were attached to direct, but both eventually dropped out but remained on the project as producers. Cooper, who had already signed on to star in 2017, was then named as director following an early screening of his directorial debut A Star Is Born (2018), and he rewrote Singer's original script. The rest of the cast joined between 2020 and 2023, and filming took place between May and October 2022, in Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Bernstein's home in Connecticut, and England.

Maestro premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. The film received a limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023, before being released on Netflix on December 20. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise given to the direction and the performances, especially those of Cooper and Mulligan, but criticism to the writing and presentation. The film was named one of the top 10 of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. It received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), and Best Actress (Mulligan), as well as nominations for seven BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Full article: Maestro (2023 film)