Bingo.
I'm higher on this movie than you are in most respects, but since this did not necessarily hold any entertainment value I decided to watch it from an analytical perspective, and both in the short-term and long-term I often asked myself: "What is BC trying to say here?" Again, it wasn't just regarding the overall narrative, but different scene choices, shot choices, event choices, storytelling choices, etc. For that reason, plus what you mentioned about BC playing a version of Bernstein that didn't really seem like Bernstein, it came off as an Oscar bait kind of film.
I thought Carey Mulligan's performance was Oscar-worthy, though. She was for sure the knockout of the film. I'll give Cooper kudos in what he had to do to convince me that he was not just a good conductor, but also a Leonard Bernstein. He definitely when it comes to showcasing a multitude of talents. If you want to nominate him for the Oscar, fine. It's not a winner though, and this movie is definitely ranking on the bottom of all ten Best Picture nominees for me.
So although I did like it, it's much easier for me to discuss the negatives over the positives, and it came across as a film with nothing to say.
Comment