Overrated but decent

Rating: 6/10 (19 October 2018)

This is a little overrated. Just because a movie jerks a few tears doesn't mean it's anything great. Many average films have evoked sadness, but that doesn't mean they are special. While the end was much better than what came before it, it didn't elevate it enough to raise the overall rating. I had mixed feelings about the movie:
The Good- Pretty good pace (if you're not into love stories or musical type movies, it's not that hard to sit through due to the decent edits and cuts) although at times I uncharacteristically could have used longer scenes at times, by the end of the movie you have to give credit to Cooper as the director (I didn't realize he directed it as I was watching), Lady Gaga's voice is an asset to the movie, and it does evoke emotion at times.
The Bad- It misses on some notes, especially early on how the formation of the relationship feels rushed and almost not believable in a way, despite some aspects of charm which were decent (the scene where Gaga hits the guy at the bar wasn't buyable and isn't that assault), unfortunately even though I appreciate actors taking risks, it's a little bit masturbatory throughout the first quarter of it with regards to Hollywood stars celebrating themselves, I thought Cooper overacted just a little bit in this with his voice that reminded me of what Tom Hardy does and despite it I never saw anybody but Cooper in the role (in other words, the staple of a great acting performance is you don't even recognize the actor anymore but even with the voice focus, it didn't make me see Cooper any less than ever), it is comparable to a long music video at many times (but it's a movie), and it was somewhat superficial at times when it could have used more depth to increase the quality (for example, the way her career was able to develop and take off was done well enough to make you invested in it, but at the same time it happened so fast and what seemed like somewhat easily, which is hard to believe with the difficulty of that industry, so by the time the final quarter of the movie arrived, I didn't feel as much as I should have felt for Ally's journey).
On an end note, the film does have charm and Cooper's character's story was poignant and lead to a place that had some power. While the movie is overrated, it's not bad at all and is slightly above average. I would recommend a watch, but don't expect anything super sensational or an elite classic or anything that you would want to watch again or over and over. "Walk the Line" is a similar movie that is probably a little bit better than this one is overall.

6.8/10