Bradley Cooper‘s portrayal of Leonard Bernstein has drawn a lot of criticism — but in Italy this weekend … it drew more applause than outrage, especially from the latter’s children.
Netflix’s new film, “Maestro,” received a standing ovation Saturday at the Venice Film Festival … where it was screened in front of a select audience, without any of its cast members around to enjoy it. Obviously, that’s because of the actors’ strike going on right now.
#Maestro wows #Venezia80 with a 7-minute standing ovation as Leonard Bernstein’s three kids — Jamie, Alexander and Nina Maria — were among those sobbing at Bradley Cooper’s incredible film. pic.twitter.com/3mvYRndPie
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 2, 2023
@RaminSetoodeh
Still, the rest of the crew was on hand to hear all the cheers … and based on reports, this applause lasted for quite a while — around 7 minutes or so of people on their feet.
By most accounts … Bradley’s a front-runner for Best Actor after his performance in this.
I’ve never seen a standing ovation like this at #Venezia80. As the credits rolled on Bradley Cooper’s #Maestro, Leonard Bernstein’s three kids — Jamie, Alexander and Nina — waved their arms like conductors and danced to their dad’s music with tears in their eyes. pic.twitter.com/V2G1aR6RPu
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 2, 2023
@RaminSetoodeh
The other notable part about this reaction here is the fact that the late conductor’s adult kids were in the crowd as well — and they seemed thrilled by what they saw on the screen. Check out what they did … on top of just clapping for BC, they seemed to cry too.
Jamie, Alexander and Nina were even seen enthusiastically fake-conducting along to Bernstein’s music when the credits rolled … so yeah, they appear to have loved it.
Of course, the backdrop of all this is the controversy this film landed in — namely, some accusing Brad of “Jewface” … on account of his extended nose prosthetic in the movie.
LB’s children publicly spoke out in support of Brad … saying they’re fine with how he looks on camera, noting their father did indeed have a large nose. Sounds like they might be even more on board after having seen ‘Maestro’ for themselves.
Time will tell if the outrage carries on into the fall … “Maestro” releases in November.