The holidays are fast approaching, which means it’s time for Hollywood A-listers to adopt thick accents (and don even thicker prosthetics) to re-enact the lives of historical celebrities in the pursuit of awards season glory. This year alone, we have had Oppenheimer and Napoleon and are staring down the barrel of Ferrari, Priscilla, Rustin, and Bob Marley: One Love, each promising to grapple with the challenge of effectively capturing an entire human life in the span of two multiplex-friendly hours (and in a manner sanctioned by their subjects’ estates and living relatives). Bradley Cooper – star of The Hangover trilogy-turned blockbuster auteur – throws his hat into the ring with Maestro, an adoring albeit uninventive biopic of the renowned American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918–90).