Another “icon and creator” honoree at the Gotham Awards was Maestro, which received the Cultural Icon and Creator Tribute. This delivered Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan to the red carpet, so it worked.
But then, Maestro is expected to be a major player all awards season—Gold Derby is predicting the film could bag double-digit nominations come Oscar announcement morning. I wouldn’t be shocked, it’s a well-acted, well-shot film in a historical setting, and historical dramas are often good for a lot of below-the-line nominations. It’s not my favorite film this year, but it is the type of film I expect to play well with the Academy, especially the older contingent, many of whom may have known Leonard Bernstein personally, and be glad to see him get his due (mostly).
Also, Bradley Cooper wants it SO bad, he’s going to campaign the sh-t out of this movie. In a less competitive year, Maestro might well get the job done, but this year…well. Good luck to all the contenders. But that’s why it’s so important to show up for events like this, to be seen everywhere representing your film, to start collecting trophies, even bullsh-t “please show up” awards. In a competitive year, every advantage must be taken. In a year ripe with actually great films, the more we see of Coop and Carey, the more we can be convinced that Maestro is great, too.
