Director: Bradley Cooper
A deftly-handled and sometimes touching musical tragedy that overcomes a few pacing and character development weaknesses.
This was the fourth major studio incarnation of the A Star is Born story, with the previous three being produced in 1933, 1956, and 1976. Every one of them tells the same basic tale of a young, talented, aspiring female singer being discovered by an established male musician. The man makes a protege out of the woman, who then quickly vaults to stardom, all while the man falls prey to his own demons. I've not seen any of the earlier renditions of the film, but I've heard that they are a mixed bag. For my part, this most recent version was a really strong musical. And I typically don't like musicals.
To be clear, this movie is something of a dark fairy tale. Especially though the first two acts, there's an "ugly duckling" story-line at work, with Lady Gaga doing brilliant work as Ally, the Jersey girl-next-door with a powerhouse voice and something to say. Within the span of about 48 hours, she's discovered by popular, highly-respected, country-folk singer/songwriter Jackson "Jack" Maine (Bradley Cooper), and enticed onto a stage with him. Ally's star is, immediately, born, and she is very quickly off and touring with Jack, to gangbuster crowd response. Ally's fame grows, and she falls in love with Jack. But all is far from fairy tale perfect. Jack has long been in the throws of serious alcoholism and drug abuse, soon made worse when he sees his beloved Ally starting to abandon her artistic integrity as a meaningful songwriter, instead allowing herself to be molded into a more shallow, superficial version of a bubblegum pop star. What started as a fairy tale dream ends as something far more complex and affecting.
I enjoyed the movie, and actually found it to have more depth than I expected. While the "magical moments" felt a tad rushed and even a bit contrived at times, they weren't so awkward that they spoil anything. And while the film isn't exactly short (it clocks in at 2 hours, 16 minutes), I couldn't always sense whether only days or months had passed in Ally's rise from nobody to musical sensation. Still, once things settle down and get beyond the "magical moment" first act, there is more and more to chew over in terms of character and theme. A great strength of this movie is that it often isn't overwritten. We only learn so much detail about Jack's past - enough to get a certain sense of why his relationship with his older brother is so rocky and why he self-medicates to such damaging degrees. And we are allowed to infer certain things about Ally and some of the decisions she makes, including hooking up with a clearly alcoholic Jack, despite her stating early that she's wary of such types. There's also the larger theme of artistic integrity and what it can cost some people, financially, psychologically, or both. These are the things that my wife and I enjoyed talking over a bit once the credits were rolling.
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| Ally's first big performance, and arguably her most affecting to us viewers. Lady Gaga manages to work through several emotions with her face, posture, and voice, all within about 30 seconds, leading to an unforgettable moment. |
I may never watch this one again, since it's not really my genre, but it's easy to see why it was such a hit movie. If you're a fan of musicals and somehow haven't seen it yet, you'll almost definitely love it. If you're more like me and don't care much for the genre, I still suggest that you give it a shot. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.
That's 640 movies down; only 582 to go.
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