Emotional rollercoaster driven by strong performances

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2018)

One of the things i was thinking after seeing this film is: How often does a singer/popstar try to become a movie star? Quite a few times. And how often does that work out great? Not that often.
And how often do you see a movie star try to become a singer/popstar? And how often does that go really well? You probably see where I'm going with this.
This is what's mesmerizing about this movie, in this movie, both those scenarios came through. And not just by a margin of luck or just barely there, no, this is a movie that might have the highest wow factor of the year, and i suspect quite a bit of people are voting on this wow factor alone, because then i would give it a 10/10 without hesitation.
Like, who knew Cooper could sing like this? He has gone from an actor to have almost 10 million listeners on spotify in a week. He is so authentic in his role, it's almost scary. And who on earth could ever have guessed Lady Gaga was such a great actress? I mean, wow. Seriously i could really go on and on and on about these two and how authentic and real they are in this film, the chemistry is absolutely remarkable, and they show real emotions that makes you shiver all over. And add to that one of the best performances Sam Elliot has ever done, and you have solid emotional core that keeps you locked in for almost the entire ride.
For about the first 2/3 of this film, this was a 9/10 movie for me, i just loved watching it, but the third act was a bit disappointing, not only did i start to realize exactly how this would end, but i also felt that we spent too much time away from what made the movie so great in the first place, the chemistry between Cooper and Gaga. I don't think Cooper handled this last act all too well, but it's not terrible, but he should have kept that knot tightened, so that when what happens, happens, the emotional impact would have been far greater.
This is however a fantastic directional debut from Cooper and a phenomenal major acting debut from Lady Gaga, it's a movie about true love, love so pure it almost feels like you just want to be in there with them and never leave, experience all their ups and downs. It does not matter if there is suffering, the love is real, and that's what matters.
Lady Gaga has told in several interviews that she felt that the only one believing in her was Cooper, even on the set people where skeptical towards her. Well they are not skeptical now, because Gaga might actually be nominated for an Oscar for this role, I'm almost certain she will. And the song from the film, Shallow, is the front runner to win the Oscar for best original song. Almost all the music in this film is great, these songs could easily have been hits on their own, and well, now they are.
The verdict. Well you know what, the first 2/3 of this movie is absolutely fantastic. for real, I'm going to see those parts over and over and over, and the scene where Gaga first goes on stage, oh wow, wow wow wow. That is an emotional scene that will stick with me for a very long time. It's just the ending i have problems with, and i need to see the entire movie as a whole. It has brilliant parts in it, it has tons of great acting, great music, great emotions, and to top it all, it feels totally authentic.
I give this movie a 8/10 - A really good movie which i recommend