Tom Michalisko

If you are looking for a biography about this great man you have come to the wrong place. If you want to see an actor/director make an obvious run to sweep academy awards, then watch it. Per Roger Ebert: He’s a legend, a larger-than-life cultural force in mid-century America whose persona extends far beyond the rarefied circles of the classical music world. But the necessarily performative nature of Bernstein’s existence, as a closeted gay man, keeps us at a distance as viewers, too.” In other words, the film glosses over all of Bernstein’s musical achievements to which I was hoping to enlighten my family, but instead left them in the dark. “West Side Story” is barely mentioned. For the common person, this movies reduces Bernstein to just another story about a promiscuous gay man who destroyed the lives of his family. Even some of these reviews basically state so. It’s sad.