If there’s an internet villain that has emerged this awards season, it’s Bradley Cooper. It’s not necessarily deserved, but it’s happening.
I’ve already tackled this topic before, but it keeps rearing its head back into the fray. The ire seems to stem from Cooper’s “Maestro” being a “vanity project” and audiences having noticed a certain desperation from him to win the Oscar.
The Telegraph’s film critic, Robbie Collin, is not one of the haters. He’s written a piece titled, “The Bradley Cooper backlash is here – and he doesn’t deserve it,” where he dissects the internet sneering against Cooper.
Collin does admit that Cooper does “not even attempt to hide the fact that he really, truly and desperately wants to win,” pounding the trail, relentlessly, making it clear that awards really do matter. And, what exactly is wrong with that?
Cooper has already had to deal with the “Jewface” controversy, the “no chairs” policy, his on-air reaction to losing the Golden Globe, admitting he spent six years on a six-minute scene, sobbingly thanking Michael Mann for not casting him in “Public Enemies.” The list goes on and on.
I wasn’t a fan of “Maestro,” but isn’t Cooper allowed to campaign for his passion project? He’ll probably get nominated for Best Actor, the film will likely get Best Picture recognition, but there will be no wins for “Maestro” — the film is too divisive.
And that’s where the hate actually stems from. It’s not the relentless campaigning or the “no chairs” policy. Rather, if Cooper had made a film that was less divisive, more praised, then there probably wouldn’t be this king of backlash towards him.
“Maestro” is just not clicking with people, especially those who expected a token biopic which “Maestro” certainly is not. It currently has a 61% user rating on RT and a middling 6.7 on IMDB. There’s your answer.