Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2018)

As it is plainly visible from the homepage on this site for the new film, A Star is Born, there are so many user and critic's reviews for this new movie, that I can safely say that I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, or written about it, but in my effort to try and review most of the new films I see at the theatre, I will certainly try my best to do a worthwhile review, even if the majority of the people who usually read these reviews have had enough reviews of this new film already. As, I think it is also pretty clear, this new version of this story is nothing new as it has been made already three times and I also have to be honest and admit that I have never to this day seen any of the other versions, so how closely this new film follows them, or if they have a certain sequence, or story arc between them I do not know, but from what I understand, writer/director Bradley Cooper borrows a little bit from all versions, but also certainly makes this film his own with his own unique stamp on it and also a very unique and worthwhile debut as a writer and director as well also in this case as a singer and songwriter as well. I think over the years having seen many films about showbusiness and the lives of either actors, singers, or people in the entertainment industry in general we as an audience have come to expect certain things from these movies. Usually they feature a celebrity of some kind who can not deal with the various pressures from being famous and this causes them often to go off the deep end with either alcohol, or some kind of substance abuse, or abuse of their bodies in some excessive way. I think it would be something new and even perhaps refreshing to have a story about a celebrity who avoids these pitfalls and basically can hold their own both while performing and keeping a handle on their personal life, but perhaps I am being the naive one here and the many deaths of musicians and people in the entertainment industry just goes to show that success and fame truly can be a hard act to juggle and maybe more credit, or understanding is due to those who in some ways we know very little about outside their public persona. The substance abuse issues are certainly on display in this new version as well and jealously, power hungry managers and agents and the various pressures that stem out of and because of this is all here. It is handled in an interesting if not altogether entertaining version and the performances can be very powerful here even if at times it does border a little bit on melodrama. I think a lot of questions people had about this film include how is Cooper as a writer/director/singer and how is Lady Gaga in her first starring role for the big screen? I can safely and assuredly tell you that Cooper directs and writes like he has been doing it for ages and he truly is a wizard behind the camera and his writing as well as singing is all well done also. For his performance I can also say that I think it is the strongest as well as the best performance of his career thus far and I think choosing to write and direct films and to only direct films he has written himself is a wonderful career move and gives hope to Hollywood as we have another true auteur in the making and a good one at that. Lady Gaga who I know has appeared on American Horror Story, which I have never delved into, but here for her big screen debut she is certainly very impressive not only with her singing and songwriting, but also a emotional performance and a moving one at that. I think it is pretty much guaranteed that both Cooper and Gaga will be up for acting Oscars as well also with Sam Elliott in a wonderful supporting performance. The songs where Cooper and Gaga accompany each other are well done and should also be up for nominations as well as writing, directing and even Best Picture. The film is certainly not my favourite film that I have seen this year, but that is not to say it isn't worth seeing because it certainly is and I was impressed at how many people at my theatre came out to see this film in it's second week and overhearing how much they loved it. For a mainstream outing it is as good as it can get in a time of remakes and cliches being done countless times, but I look forward to seeing more from Cooper and Gaga and what they have left us with is certainly impressive and worth the time out at the theatre.