An absolute gut punch of a remake, something I never imagined saying, especially about a third one (fourth, if you consider 1932's What Price Hollywood? as canon), but as a somber Sam Elliott remarks, "Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave - 12 notes and the octave repeat. It's the same story told over and over, forever. All any artist can offer this world is how they see those 12 notes." Yes, he was talking about musicality, but he also seemed to be winking at actor/debut director Bradley Cooper's handling of A Star Is Born. What could have very well been a soulless disaster, is instead raw, kinetic, beautiful, and heartbreaking under Cooper's deft direction.
In front of the camera, Cooper brings charm to the boozy and
gruff Jackson Maine, hitting just the right sympathetic sweet spot to ward off
the annoyance that would generally come with his drunken antics, but it's Lady Gaga who
absolutely stuns as Ally, a role that nearly mirrors her own rise to fame. I
was skeptical at first, especially after her head-scratching introductory scene (the only questionable moment in the film), but once Jackson stumbled into
her world everything just clicked. The interactions between Cooper and Gaga
are just so... instinctive. That makes things kind of awkward because I felt
like I was listening in to their private conversations. If it came out in the near
future that Cooper and Gaga were dating or engaged, I would certainly believe
it. Their chemistry is through the roof, which helps this remake soar.
The only real drawback here is the language. I'm not against
its usage, per se, but when it seems like Cooper and Elliott are having a
cuss-off, it erodes the impact of a scene. In those moments, it really feels
like they didn't have anything to say, so they used filler. I believe that
about any movie, though, so don't think I'm just picking on this one! Aside
from that, I wouldn't change a thing, and I fully expect Oscar nominations and
wins to come out of this for the acting, the direction, and the rousing soundtrack, which was sung live in the film at Gaga's insistence.
