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Bradley Cooper’s Netflix movie, Maestro, has received seven nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, with Cooper himself receiving nods for Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. However, the Oscar nominee wasn’t able to make the cut for Best Director. He seems to be taking that turn of events in stride, though. On that note, Cooper’s buddy, Brad Pitt, (while honoring him), hit him with a sick burn over the snub. And Kansas City Chiefs fans are sure to get a kick out of it ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
In 2020, Bradley Cooper introduced Brad Pitt at the National Board of Review amid the Oscars campaign for the latter’s movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The Best Actor winner joked that Cooper rushed over to the ceremony to present him after putting his daughter to bed. Well, the sick burns continue as Pitt introduced the Maestro helmer at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and made sure to mention Cooper’s Best Director snub. Pitt playfully said (via Deadline):
Bradley’s nominated for three [Oscars] for producer, writer, actor. Apparently the movie directed itself.
That’s a solid burn from the Ocean’s Eleven alum, who’s known for dropping witty one-liners with the best of them. On a more serious note though, It’s always interesting how Oscar nominees are decided. For instance, many have made note this year of how Barbie’s director, Greta Gerwig, was snubbed yet her movie was nominated for Best Picture, as was the case with Bradley Cooper. (Of course, there are slightly different optics when it comes to both perceived snubs.) There’s also the question of how a movie could win Best Director but not Best Picture. It’s definitely a head-scratcher.
Contrary to Brad Pitt’s joke though, the biopic absolutely did not direct itself. Critics praised Maestro, with many lauding the Silver Linings Playbook star for his direction and commitment to telling the story of famed conductor Leonard Bernstein. His directing chops spoke volumes, as the film was firmly able to evoke emotions through its music, performances and cinematography.
That aside, the Legends of the Fall star had one more joke to make at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He continued to roast his pal by bringing up the Kansas City Chiefs:
If it’s not [his year to win]. Bradley’s OK. He’s Fine. He’s used to it. He’s a Philadelphia Eagles fan. [Go Chiefs!]
Now, that was a major burn for Philadelphia Eagles fans. In fact, from off camera, Bradley Cooper shouted, “Man, that’s fucked up!” I guess that means we know who the Bullet Train actor will be rooting for during this year’s Super Bowl. What the Chiefs fan is referring to with his Eagles jab is that this Philadelphia football team had been a dominant force in recent years. Now, they’ve become the first team in 40 years with a record eight games above .500 to lose back-to-back by 20 or more points. With the Chiefs up against the San Francisco 49ers in the big game this year, we shall see tonight if the Fight Club actor’s team will come out as champions.
Despite making having some fun at his peer’s expense, Brad Pitt continued to say in his speech that he has a deep respect for his friend’s vision in one of the best Netflix movies streaming right now. Pitt spoke about how the one scene in Maestro that seemed “masterful” to him was when Leonard Bernstein meets his future wife, Felicia Montealegre, for the first time. He loved seeing the naturalism of the two characters engaging in realistic dialogue and talking over each other and felt that those moments took great direction to achieve.
Bradley Cooper must have felt it was a real compliment to have the celebrated star compare him to Robert Redford. Executive producer Steven Spielberg clearly saw the same promise, as he chose Cooper to direct Maestro after seeing 20 minutes of his directorial debut, A Star Is Born. The Academy may not have recognized Cooper for directing the Netflix biopic, but his skills as a filmmaker are still more than evident. The same is also true of Cooper’s love of the Eagles, which is admirable amid this point in the team’s history.
On that note, you can see if the Moneyball actor’s team will win Super Bowl LVIII, which airs at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Maestro is also available to steam now using a Netflix subscription.