Bradley Cooper was nominated for Best Actor at the 2024 Oscars for his work in Maestro. Personally, I do not think that’s the right nomination. Cooper plays composer Leonard Bernstein in the movie, which he also directed and co-wrote alongside Josh Singer.
My least favorite part of the movie was Cooper’s performance. Visually, the movie is stunning, and it does show his ability as a director. The over saturation of Cooper has soured me on the film as a whole, though. With his fingers in the proverbial pot of every aspect of this film, there is a lot that I think would have been fixed had Cooper not been both in front of and behind the camera. We ended up with moments that feel lackluster in comparison to what could have been had he not taken on acting and directing for a movie like Maestro.
It does feel odd, to me, to nominate Cooper’s over-the-top performance as Bernstein over a performance like Andrew Scott’s in All of Us Strangers, but hey, I am not an Academy voter, so I don’t quite know what was on their mind at the time. Maybe they really just love cigarette acting and wanted to award that instead.
The reality is that the direction of the movie was what kept me engaged, despite my rage at times.
His direction was brilliant. His acting? Not so much.
At times throughout Maestro, it felt like Cooper was mimicking what he saw Bernstein do. While you may think that is a good thing, the reality is that it felt like an impersonation instead of a character coming to life. To look at another biopic from this season, it didn’t feel like Cillian Murphy was making a mockery of J. Robert Oppenheimer with each word he spoke. Even Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as Ernest Burkhart, which was over the top as well, was done within the context of Burkhart’s own intelligence.
Cooper’s performance does not feel like it is trying to honor the man he’s bringing to life. Every other aspect of the movie, the world surrounding Bernstein, is beautiful. Gorgeous landscapes, the use of the supporting cast holding strong when they’re included, and the switch from black and white to color all work to help the story. It all really highlights how Cooper’s direction was a saving grace of the film.
So, to award only his acting is, in my opinion, the opposite of what should have happened. Sure, we all know that Bradley Cooper wants an Academy Award more than anything, but his acting was not up to par with the other actors up for the award this season.
Cooper had made magic with the pairing of his direction and Jackson Maine in A Star Is Born, but Maestro is just not the same story and I think it is a waste to give him the Best Actor nomination over Best Director.
(featured image: Netflix)
