A Star is Born

A Star is Born

Starring Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay

Directed by Bradley Cooper

The Story:
Jackson (Bradley Cooper) is a famous country music singer who also is a chronic alcoholic and drug user, a man who disguises his demons as he entertains audiences.  One night at a bar, he hears Ally (Lady Gaga) singing, and instantly falls for her.  The two spend the night getting to know each other, with Ally confiding that she would love to be a singer, but people don't like the way she looks.

She attends another concert by Jackson, who invites her on stage to sing the song she wrote, and she reluctantly agrees, resulting in a beautiful ballad between the two stars.  As their relationship grows, so does Ally's popularity, and she slowly emerges out of Jackson's shadow and becomes a star in her own right, while Jackson's star power diminishes, and he resorts to more drinking and drug use.  The two struggle with the issues of fame and addiction that slowly escalates and threatens to tear the two apart forever.

The Synopsis:
The concept of "A Star is Born" has been involved in cinema for decades.  The first iteration on the screen was in 1937, and then again in 1954 with Judy Garland, and finally in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.  While each film held the mantle of the title, each film was vastly different from the others, and the 2018 version is no different.  Meeting with the times, the film centers around two singers - one country, one pop - and how their relationship affects their fame.

Bradley Cooper stars as Jackson, a country superstar who is also a heavy alcoholic.  He loves to frequent bars after his shows, and it's at one bar he meets Ally, played by Lady Gaga, who blows him (and us) away with her soulful rendition of "La Vie En Rose."  The two spend the night getting to know each other, and Jackson learns Ally is a songwriter, but she doesn't sing her own songs because people don't like the way she looks.  He manages to convince her to sing her song with him at a concert, and she slowly emerges from her shell and fully accepts the star that she's meant to be.  However, it's also during her rise to stardom that Jackson's star plummets, and he drowns his sorrows in alcohol, resulting in events that threaten to break the two up for good.

This version of "A Star is Born" should've been called "A Star is Reborn," as both Cooper and Lady Gaga reinvent themselves and somehow become even more amazing than they already were.  Bradley Cooper has always been a fantastic actor, but he's always wanted to direct - but never had the chance to.  "A Star is Born" doesn't only feature Cooper, but he also directed it - serving as his directorial debut.  This would've been a daunting task for anyone, but for someone who's never directed before, it was almost an impossibility.  Yet, despite this heavy endeavor, Bradley Cooper truly hits it out of the park, directing a film that could easily earn several Oscar nominations come awards season.

Although the film centers around the rise of Ally's stardom, Lady Gaga herself truly transforms into the role.  The two people share some common traits, as Lady Gaga herself went on the record early on in her career saying she doesn't have the right look, just as Ally tells Jackson in the movie.  This led Gaga to emerge as a character, fully decked out in makeup and outrageous costumes to hide what she really looked like.  Here, there's no glittery makeup or meat-infused dresses to hide behind, and we really get to see her stripped down to her bare essence - and it's truly a beautiful essence.  She not only captivates the screen, but we become hypnotized by her performance, as she clearly gives it her all in a role that will undoubtedly be praised during the upcoming awards season.

The chemistry between the two leads is indescribable, and absolutely electric.  We feel a connection between the two characters even before they do, and we get to witness their beautiful duet both on stage and in real life.  Yet, as it goes with every movie like this, it's not all roses.  Ally begins rising in popularity, and moving to the pop genre, which Jackson finds as lesser than country, and Cooper wonderfully shows this in the middle of the film.

When Ally first performs, she's a vocal powerhouse who captivates us just by her singing, and when she gets a producer and record deal, they push her to have backup dancers and perform on stage by dancing instead of just singing, while Jackson still holds audiences captivated by just sitting on a stool and playing guitar.  It's an interesting duality to see how people are treated in music - men can be stripped down and just play, while women have to dress provocatively and dance around on stage.  Yet the film doesn't focus too much on this, which is a good thing, because at its heart is the relationship between Jackson and Ally.

The music in the film is spellbinding, especially Ally and Jackson's duet "Shallow," and Ally's performance of "I'll Never Love Again," but every song is beautiful and heartfelt.  The audio in the film is amazing as well, as the first scene involves Jackson playing to a large outdoor audience, and their cheers are so resounding in the theater it felt like we were on stage with Jackson.

Ultimately, this is a love story about two strong characters who endure a see-saw battle as they both juggle their personal lives with their fame.  At the start, Jackson is at the top of the see-saw, while Ally is at the bottom.  When Ally gets discovered and her stardom rises, she finds herself on top while Jackson is at the bottom - even though both try to find middle ground.  Their relationship is beautiful at the start, and becomes strained throughout the film, but despite it all the love is still clearly there.  This is the result of two amazing lead actors who have a true chemistry with one another, being able to maintain my attention for a whopping 135 minutes, just fourteen minutes less than the action-packed "Avengers: Infinity War."

The Summary:
Oscar season is off and running, and "A Star is Born" should definitely get some much-needed recognition due to a spectacular script, beautiful songs, and most importantly the powerful work from leading stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who both are reborn through the film.

The Score: A+