Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in a remake for the ages

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2018)

When I first heard about this, I did not know quite what to expect. On the one hand, Bradley Cooper had never directed a film before and I had no feel for Lady Gaga's acting chops. On paper, it was hard to know if this would be any good.
Needless to say, my doubts were answered and put to rest forever by the time I left the theater. This age-old story of a young woman who meets a celebrity on the downward spiral of his career and who becomes the next big thing is wonderfully revived here, with Lady Gaga as a young waitress and singer who meets the legendary country singer Jackson Maine, whose career is beginning to slide amid his drug and alcohol addiction. Sam Elliot is dynamic as his long-suffering older half-brother and manager.
What makes this film so memorable aside from its stellar performances? First off, there are a handful of amazing ballads sung by both Lady Gaga and Cooper. Their vocals bring this film to such grand heights, that I might now have a couple of new favorite songs. Lady Gaga's stirring delivery anchors this film and then rockets it to the sky. Just thinking about it makes me misty-eyed. Equally realized besides the music, are the themes of holding onto love and discovering your true potential. In that regard this film had an amazing flare for insightful dialogue.
If you're looking for a film that comes from the heart and is as good as people think films used to be and offers some hope, then this one most surely is for you.