A Star Is Born - Review Thread

Gaga calls her fans "little monsters," so that would seem to make her the "big monster," Rodan is also a big monster.  Three degrees of separation.

I'm not sure if we ever needed four versions of A Star is Born, but Cooper's newest might well be the best of them. Set against the backdrop of our modern music scene, A Star is Born looks at the blooming romance between unknown singer Ally (Lady Gaga) and rockstar Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper). As the two come closer, Ally's career skyrockets, while Jackson's plummets, due in part to disease and substance abuse problems. Cooper's third in a series of remakes hit all the notes you're expecting, but it plays them extraordinary well. Most immediately apparent are the performances, which are fantastic. Cooper offers a somewhat transformative performance (the dude is proving to have much more range than I think most people expected from him). It's maybe a bit jarring to hear the deep southern voice coming from Bradley Cooper at first, but you do get used to this pretty quickly. More to the point, Cooper does an excellent job selling his character's struggles with addictions and self destructive tendencies. Lady Gaga also gives a pretty stirring performance here, effectively selling the character's self-actualization and the pair have amazing chemistry on-screen.

In his directorial debut, Cooper proves to be a highly skilled craftsman. A Star is Born is rock solid in its filmmaking fundamentals, with some really impressive cinematography and subtle, but great, editing. These elements are crucial in giving the film a sense of energy (no small feat given this story has a fairly impressive sweep) and Cooper also knows when to slow things down and let a moment play out without interruption. Some of the film's best moments, in fact, are the ones where things slow down and we just spend time with the characters. This is most evident in the scenes between Ally and Jack. Their initial meeting feels destined to be one of those well-remembered first meeting scenes, and later scenes like a bathroom fight or the emotional confrontations between the pair are very powerful. Outside of the leads, Cooper gets great performances from his supporting cast too. It's really nice to see Sam Elliott in a dignified role in a quality film like this.

I should also mention that the music here is largely great. None of the songs are necessarily my cup of tea, but they're clearly well-written and performed with gusto. Given that this is a couple who come together through their music, it's really crucial that the music here actually work, and thankfully it does. All told, it's hard to really be down on A Star is Born. It's a very well-made film that never makes any missteps. A handful of minor elements maybe didn't work fully for me, but looking at the big picture, there really isn't much to complain about. The only thing really holding the film back is that it's the fourth version of the story and that does rob the film of some power. It's clear from the start exactly what beats the film is going to hit and while I did occasionally get lost in the romance, I never fully forgot myself. Still, for viewers coming in without the baggage of the other versions, I doubt this will be an issue, especially given the fantastic performances, strong filmmaking, and moving storytelling. For a lot of people, I suspect A Star is Born is going to be one of their favourite films of the year, and it's easy to see why.

A-

Not in person.

Loses steam but it’s pretty great.

This was pretty good. Definitely one of the best of the year.

9/10