Review of Chevalier (2023) by Bertobellamy — 21 Jun 2023

A musical duel with Mozart and making him go nuts is the best way to start the film; unfortunately, the rest develops in the most predictable and underwhelming manner. It's great that 'Chevalier' rescues the memory of classical black composer Joseph Bologne, who rose to prominence because of his music before the French Revolution.

Its main problem it's the messy screenplay. The promise of something akin to 'Amadeus' gets lost in a by-the-numbers biopic that can't resist turning the plot into a boring forbidden romance one. Kelvin Harrison Jr.

is fine as Bologne, but his character keeps sending contradictory messages toward the end, resulting in a clumsy and hasty transformation. 'Chevalier,' of course, is about racism, but the Revolution aspect of the story doesn't organically intertwine with the protagonist's struggle.

Wish this was better because the production design, the make-up, and the costumes are great.