Rating: 4.5/5
Classification: M
Year of release: 2018
Run-time: 2 hours 16 minutes
Director: Bradley Cooper
Cast: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, Greg Grunberg
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
This review contains NO SPOILERS
A Star is Born is the fourth time this movie has been made and is Bradley Cooper’s directing debut, the movie is about a famous musician named Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) who meets a struggling singer Ally (Lady Gaga) longing to make her big break. Jackson helps Ally’s singing career reach take off speed as Jackson’s own career begins to take a turn for the worst due to alcoholism. Given the fact that this is the fourth movie version of this classic tale most people would be quick to think that there is simply nothing new or interesting to explore, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. I haven’t seen every version of A Star is Born myself but I have seen the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason, the 2018 A Star is Born is more living proof at how successful remakes can be and proves that this story hasn’t lost any steam yet.
The performances and chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are as perfect as perfect can be and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get some attention at the upcoming Oscars. Those that know who Lady Gaga is already know that she’s a seasoned singer but even when Bradley Cooper’s character Jackson did music performances I was convinced that Bradley Cooper was a singer in real life as well. Lady Gaga who I have not seen act before convinced me that she is not one of those singers who attempts to transition from singing to acting and should just stick to singing. This proves to be an entirely new career path for Lady Gaga and while I’d be happy for her to still stick to singing, if she continues to act I look forward to seeing her next movie. Sam Elliot plays a character named Bobby Maine, Jackson’s older half-brother and if Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper get Oscar nominations. It’ll be a crime if Sam Elliot doesn’t get one as well, he appears in many of the most dramatic scenes of the movie and Sam Elliot is a huge reason why these scenes were as impactful and powerful as they ended up being.
While it is possible that audiences who have not seen any of the previous versions of A Star is Born are probably more likely to love this movie more, however people who have seen the previous versions are most going to find aspects to love about this movie as well. While I like the 1954 version a little better, the 2018 version of A Star is Born is another remake done right, Bradley Cooper proves to be a force to be reckoned with and we surely have another actor turned director to sit up and pay attention to. Bradley Cooper also gives an Oscar worthy performance as well as Lady Gaga and Sam Elliot, this movie also has an amazing soundtrack, proves that this enduring and classic tale still has new aspects to explore and is a perfect way to bring this stories attention to new audiences.