A Star Dies but won't go away.

Rating: 4/10 (16 October 2018)

This won't be a popular review based on the high ratings this film is receiving but I have to say it-this film is all about Bradley Cooper rather than the star Ally.
Cooper's Maine character just eats up the scenery throughout the film; Gaga's Ally just enables him despite her hurt feelings and his destructive behavior, while she is barely given the screen time to shine.
There are a number of tropes from the previous incarnations of this film, some from '54 and many from the '76 issues of this great love story.
I warmed to the beginning of the film and Jackson's charm while courting Ally. It soon melted into too many scenes that were disjointed and all about Jack. Ally's meteoric rose was depicted in an odd way-her music morphed into much more a Lady Gaga style which seemed not to fit the character of Ally. All the while, Jackson's dive was just more of the same stumbling drunkness without truly showing how his pain affected Ally and himself.
The last 30 minutes of the film were painful to watch because I just wanted it to be over but needed to see how he dies and how she handles it. I was nonplussed.
Finally, the last performance was lackluster and Bradley Cooper had to be all over that as well. Too much Brad, not enough Star.