Brad Pitt Names Bradley Cooper’s Hit as One of the Best Movies of the Decade

Brad Pitt recently gave a shoutout to Bradley Cooper’s movie “Maestro,” calling it one of the best films of the decade. Despite their well-known friendly rivalry over football teams, Pitt supports the Kansas City Chiefs while Cooper roots for the Philadelphia Eagles, the two actors remain close friends. Pitt joked about their different team loyalties while praising Cooper’s work as a director, writer, producer, and actor in the film.

On the “New Heights” podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Pitt talked about giving Cooper an award for “Maestro” in 2024. He shared a funny moment when he joked about Cooper’s many Oscar nominations.

Pitt said, “I have a confession: I’m friends with Bradley Cooper. He was getting an award for ‘Maestro,’ [which] is still probably one of the best movies of this decade. And I was giving him this award and he’s been nominated like 18 times for the Oscars. And I closed with, at the Santa Barbara Film Awards, ‘Listen, he’s been nominated the 19,000th time. You know, if he doesn’t get it, it’s OK. He’s used to it. He’s a Philadelphia Eagles fan.’” For the record, Cooper has actually been nominated for 12 Oscars so far.

“Maestro” is a 2023 romantic drama based on the life of Leonard Bernstein, the famous American composer, and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Bradley Cooper directed the film, co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Singer, and starred as Bernstein. Carey Mulligan played Felicia, and the movie also featured Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman in supporting roles.

The movie took a long time to get made. Plans for a Leonard Bernstein biopic started back in 2008 but got stuck for years. Big directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were involved at different times, but didn’t end up directing. Cooper, who signed on as the star in 2017, later became the director after his first directing success with “A Star Is Born.” He rewrote the script, and filming took place mostly in 2022, across locations like Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and England.

“Maestro” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2023 and was nominated for the Golden Lion award. The film had a limited release in theaters in November before coming to Netflix in December.

Critics mostly liked the film, especially praising Cooper’s directing and the performances by him and Mulligan. However, some reviewers found issues with the writing and the way the story was presented.

The movie was recognized as one of the top films of 2023 by several organizations and earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Cooper, and Best Actress for Mulligan. It also received multiple nominations at the BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

On review sites, the film scored well, with most critics giving it positive marks. Many praised the strong acting and Cooper’s skill behind the camera. At the same time, some critics felt the film avoided dealing with more difficult or controversial parts of Bernstein’s life, which they thought weakened the story. Others found the movie’s style a bit confusing or questioned the depth of Bernstein’s character as shown on screen.

Overall, “Maestro” is seen as a passionate and ambitious project that has earned respect from filmmakers and audiences alike. Pitt’s praise highlights how important the film has become, both as a major career milestone for Cooper and as a standout movie in recent years.

If you want to share your thoughts about the film or these two actors, feel free to leave a comment below!