Marc Ellen Hamel

Disappointing. I had hoped to learn about the life of Leonard Bernstein, but, sadly , we learn little about his early years and training, what drove him to his passionate and talented expression of music and life. It’s as if there was a third section omitted, the one that showed how he started on the path to be who he was. What was his childhood like? Where did he learn about music….playing and composing and conducting. This film shows us a man of passion, but how did he get there? We saw all his triumphs, but it all seemed to be on the surface. No depth. Only Felicia’s love for him and admiration of him reflected his talent. All the men in his life seemed like boy toys. No one man/lover was given a story with depth. The creators of this film forgot the advice given to writers: “show, not tell.” Lenny stated how “brilliant and intelligent” his male lover (the one with “beautiful hair “) is…..please show us he was more than a pretty person (or was he?). I didn’t learn much about this talented man of American musical history …..I just learned how well Bradley Cooper could emulate him. And what a wonderful actress is Carey Mulligan.