A Star is Born (2018) review

After years of being one of the most prominent leading men in the film industry, Bradley Cooper has now taken his first step behind the camera. And for his first directorial effort, he goes the ‘old-school’ route with a new spin on a famous tale of a sweet but tragic romance. Yes, this happens to be the fourth rendition of A Star is Born, which sees an aging celebrity take an aspiring ingenue under his wing while also falling in love with her at the same time. First, there was the 1937 film centered around the film industry, with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in the leading roles. The film was well-received upon its release and earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It was adapted again in 1954, where the focus was shifted more towards musicians. This version was most notable for being touted as the big comeback for the one and only Judy Garland, and she ended up earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress as did her co-star James Mason for Best Actor. A third adaptation of the story was produced in 1976, now focusing on rock stars, and starred Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in the lead roles. But while the film was a financial success and spawned a Platinum-selling album featuring music from the likes of Paul Williams and Kenny Loggins, it was ultimately a flop with critics, many of whom felt that it was a blatant vanity project for Streisand and her then-husband, producer Jon Peters. With all this in mind, this now brings us to the 2018 version of this classic story. Not only does Bradley Cooper direct it, but he also stars in it alongside music superstar Lady Gaga. And with their terrific chemistry, fantastic musical performances, and a strong sense of emotional depth, this new take on A Star is Born ultimately proves to be one hell of a directorial debut.

For many years, singer Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) has had much success in the music industry. However, as the years have gone on, he has slowly descended into alcoholism and drug abuse, a trait that was partially inherited from his father, while also suffering from gradual hearing loss due to tinnitus. One night, during a drunken stint in a Los Angeles bar, he meets Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress and aspiring singer-songwriter. However, despite showing much potential as a songwriter, Ally tells Jackson that she’s consistently faced rejection from all the big record labels because they feel that while she has an amazing voice, she doesn’t quite have ‘the look’ of a music star. Regardless, the two begin to bond and Jackson ends up inviting Ally onstage at one of his shows to sing a song that she had recently written. This little stunt of his proves to be a major success, and soon enough, Ally starts getting major attention from all over the country to the point where she eventually gets signed to a major label and begins a solo career. And while Jackson and Ally continue to fall in love, to the point of them getting married, this romance soon finds itself put to the test due to the vastly different trajectories of their respective careers. Plus, Jackson also begins to have some major issues regarding the decisions made by Ally’s manager Rez (Rafi Gavron) to give her an overly sexualized persona.  

At the time that I’m writing this, I haven’t seen any of the other versions of A Star is Born, though I have at least read up on their plots. As such, and without spoiling anything major, if you have seen any of the other films, then admittedly this one isn’t that different in terms of its overall plot, especially when it comes to its ending. To be clear, though, this is not a bad thing in this instance as the film is ultimately a showcase for Bradley Cooper’s excellent direction. From a technical perspective, everything in this film is very well-handled. The cinematography is solid as is the editing. And as a musical, this film is second to none when it comes to its soundtrack. Performed live on set (per Lady Gaga’s request) instead of the more traditional lip-sync method that’s commonly seen in musicals, the musical numbers in this film are fantastic and really showcase the vocal talents of its two main leads. Gaga, of course, has already made a name for herself as one of the most iconic singers of her generation, but Cooper majorly impresses in his first big musical, showcasing the fact that he clearly prepared for his role. And even with a rather hefty runtime of nearly two and a half hours, the film very much succeeds at fully engrossing you in this tragic story of two sympathetic but flawed musicians whose budding romance ends up going astray because of their respective careers going in entirely different directions. This is then bolstered further by some additional emotional depth that delves into themes like the fear of one’s voice being lost when forced into becoming something that they’re not.

Chemistry is also a key factor in producing a strong romantic drama, and Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have quite arguably some of the best onscreen chemistry that I’ve seen in recent years. Their camaraderie is so strong that while the film is, of course, primarily a drama with emotional moments that are handled beautifully, it also leads to a lot of strong humorous moments as well, arguably making this one of the best ‘dramedies’ in recent years. More importantly, though, is the fact that neither lead overshadows the other, providing an excellent balancing act when it comes to the two main characters’ efforts to support one another. Bradley Cooper excellently conveys his character’s southern charisma along with the emotional gravitas of someone who’s quickly becoming a ‘lost soul’. And as for Lady Gaga, in her first leading role in a feature film after some cameos in a few Robert Rodriguez films and her role in the fifth season of American Horror Story, she is fantastic. She holds her own against Cooper and perfectly captures Ally’s vulnerability and the confidence that she gains over the course of the film; in other words, it’s an emotionally raw and extremely captivating performance. The film also boasts some highly memorable supporting roles, with the most prominent of these being Sam Elliott as Jackson’s older brother/manager Bobby Maine. And while he may not be the main character here, his scenes with Cooper are some of the most emotionally powerful in the entire film given the story arc surrounding their strained relationship. Other notable standouts include Andrew Dice Clay as Ally’s supportive father Lorenzo and Dave Chappelle as an old musician friend of Jackson’s who helps him out during one of his many ‘low points’ in the film.

In short, there’s a lot of good things that I can say about this film. Even as the fourth rendition of a classic romance story, Bradley Cooper’s take on A Star is Born, for lack of a better term, hits all the right notes. It eases you in with the wonderful chemistry of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, producing some solid bits of humor to lighten the mood. Then, it rouses you up with its fantastic musical numbers that use the vocal talents of its two main stars to their fullest effect. Finally, it dives into the most emotional moments of its plot, resulting in the heartbreaking conclusion to this tragic story of star-crossed lovers. This all comes together nicely thanks to the phenomenal direction from Cooper, showing that he clearly has a lot of potential as a director. And like I said before, it’s really saying something of how effective this film is at conveying all its emotional depth considering that this isn’t the first time that this story has been told. Thus, any way you look at it, this new rendition of A Star is Born is a worthy update of its source material. And just like the three films that came before it (yes, even the 1976 film won an Oscar for Best Original Song despite its mixed reception), this film is sure to be a major frontrunner at this year’s Oscars for its direction, musical numbers, and most importantly, its performances.     

Rating: 5/5!