Great performances - not necessarily great story

Rating: 6/10 (8 October 2018)

I liked most of this film but I just couldnt fall in love with it. One notable problem for me was that Jackson wasn't likable to me. Right off the bat, he comes across as very pushy when he meets Ally. Not only was I uncomfortable, but even Ally looked uncomfortable. He's very clearly shown to be a messy alcoholic at the beginning too. And Ally also acknowledges this early on. Its made clear that she doesnt care about the whole celebrity culture so its not like shes attracted to him because of that, and he treats his brother like garbage and so it just felt hard to understand why she so quickly fell for him. There was a disconnect there for me. There was only one moment towards the end where I felt a shroud of compassion for his character. Another movie I saw this year was Beautiful Boy (which featured an addict) and I thought it did a better job of humanizing someone with addiction. I dont know I just think it might have worked better if we as an audience had a chance to see him in rose tinted glasses as someone might when they're starting out in relationship and you're in that honeymoon phase. Or if we had more instances where he knew was effing up.
It was also a little cliched at times and I thought the end song was very cheesy. And while I liked the characterization of Ally better, there were times where I felt she was making decisions that didnt make sense. Like one minute she would be very no nonsense not taking any of your crap and the next a walking doormat.
Despite this, I cant say I hated the film. I thought the acting was great. The only person in the cast who I wasnt impressed by was Sam Elliot. He was doing the usual thing he does. I thought Bradley did a good job at his directorial debut. The song "The Shallows" really stood out to me and is my guess of what will be nominated at the Oscars. I also think its the most pivotal song. Lady Gaga has a killer voice and so it was great getting to hear her sing. I thought her and Bradley worked well off each other. It was moving (more towards the end though). There were parts and things I liked, and Im sure there will be some nominations for it. But, not my personal fave this year.
I rated it a 6, but I think in actuality it would be more a 6.5