The rule for any biographical movie is "Would this be interesting if you didn't know who this person was?" And that pretty much is the "Problem" with this movie. Bernstein fans will dote on every word; those who have no idea who Leonard Bernstein was will be bored stiff. For those who don't know (and there are many, so don't scoff), Bernstein is considered the first great American conductor of classical music. But that was only one of his talents. He was also a gifted composer who wrote both "serious" music (like symphonies, concertos, etc.) and the scores of such diverse Broadway musicals as ON THE TOWN, WEST SIDE STORY, and CANDIDE. All the film's musical scoring is taken from his compositions, which is a bit jarring when used out-of-context. The film concentrates on Bernstein's relationship with his wife who was a Jewish stage actress from South America. They did have a lot in common in that they had similar cultural backgrounds and were both artists. But it's hard for a heterosexual woman to have a relationship with a man who not only is basically narcissistic, but also has an eye for the fellas. And that's "sort of" what the movie is about. His gay relationships are very discreet and mostly only hinted at in the movie. You get the idea without going into much detail. Were these just sexual relationships? Or were there emotional and intellectual aspects, too? The movie never tells us who these shadowy lovers are or what they saw in each other. There surely were more interesting things about Leonard Bernstein than his being bisexual. I hope so, because although I am in awe of Bernstein's achievements, I didn't think the movie was very interesting, despite being beautifully acted by the two leads, Bradley Cooper (who also directed) and Carey Mulligan as his wife. The movie is at its best (for me, at least) when the style has elements of fantasy, like when the characters dance and seem like participants in one of Bernstein's stage productions, but too much of it is rather like a plodding TV show. That's the second biggest "problem" with the movie. There isn't really a consistent point-of-view. Some of the movie is in black-and-white and then turns to color, but for no particular purpose. It's not like opening the screen door and stepping into Oz; it just means that time has passed. The whole story is shot in the screen ratio of pre-Cinemascope. Although it changes from black-and-white to color, the screen never widens. I came out of the movie not knowing any more about Bernstein than I did when I went in. If you're a fan, that won't matter. But if you're not, well...
