Oppenheimer might be the favourite to win best picture honours at the Oscars 2024, but there's another biopic up for nomination in the category: Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro.

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The epic film tells the true story of legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (played by Cooper) and his complicated relationship with his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan).

Prior to its release, the film had been subject to some controversy due to Cooper's use of a large prosthetic nose, but Bernstein's own family released a statement defending the production against claims of anti-Semitism.

Meanwhile, the composer's daughters later dismissed the backlash in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, during which they also discussed how accurately the film portrayed the true story of their parents' marriage.

Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch Maestro ahead of the Oscars 2024.

How to watch Maestro in the UK

Maestro is currently available to watch on Netflix.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday 2nd September 2023 and was given limited theatrical release a few months later from Friday 24th November 2023 – with the run in cinemas ensuring it qualified for major awards contention.

Is Maestro on Netflix?

Yes – Maestro is a Netflix original, and so it arrived on the streamer shortly after its brief run in cinemas.

The film launched on the platform just before Christmas, on Wednesday 20th December 2023.

Maestro plot

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro looking at Carey Mulligan
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. Netflix/YouTube

The film explores the life of the legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein, with a specific focus on his marriage to Felicia Montealegre.

An official synopsis provided by Netflix reads: "Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

"A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love."

Who stars in Maestro?

Cooper himself takes on the lead role of Bernstein, while his wife Felicia Montealegre is portrayed by Carey Mulligan.

Meanwhile, Matt Bomer plays one of Bersntein's lovers, and Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman star as members of his family – daughter Jamie and sister Shirley respectively.

There are also roles for the likes of Josh Hamilton (The Walking Dead), Gideon Glick (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel), Sam Nivola (White Noise), Alexa Swinton (And Just Like That) and Miriam Shor (Hedwig and the Angry Inch).

Maestro trailer

You can get a flavour for the film by watching the trailer below – which caused both anticipation and controversy when it was released last August.

Maestro is now streaming on Netflix. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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Authors

Patrick Cremona, RadioTimes.com's senior film writer looking at the camera and smiling
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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