Okay version of the familiar story

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 2018)

A STAR IS BORN - Officially, this is the 4th version of the oft-told tale, but, it's more directly a re-do of the 1976 Streisand edition (all three prior versions get credit).
It's a familiar story of a rise and fall of a musician/actor/painter/author etc. With Lady Gaga as the riser and Bradley Cooper as the fallen (curiously, the movie never truly makes clear how successful Cooper's character's career is when the story begins). As clichéd as the plot is (oh, and there's a welter of them), there's enough innate charm with Gaga's Ally that it carries the picture through the rough patches and dull sections.
While Gaga has charisma, and, obviously, on-stage talent, her acting is passable at best. She's most comfortable when just being a natural, but, when the movie demands more of her during the more heavily dramatic scenes, it surpasses her abilities (a couple of times you can even catch her consciously 'hitting her mark'). Cooper's Jack is so obviously a nod to Kris Kristofferson's John Howard from the 70s version that it hampers his acting (it's doubly amusing because the movie makes several references to Jack's 'voice' being indebted to his brother Bobby (Sam Elliott)). Cooper fares best in the last act. After some awkwardly bumpy scenes, Elliott's performance may be this version's best. Cooper's Direction gets the job done, but, the use of close-ups is excessive, carrying on into scenes where such tight framing isn't needed. Matthew Libatique's cinematography is so sharp and brightly lit that you can see the makeup caked on Gaga's face (digital photography will do that if not careful), although he achieves some fine visuals elsewhere.
The new STAR IS BORN is an adequate enough production. But, the fact that it and Lady Gaga are being touted for Best Picture and Actress says a lot about the current state of the cinema.