Simply Amazing

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 2018)

The often recreated and now 4th version of this film hit theaters on October 5th and I have to say, I was completely blown away by this movie. Bradley Cooper (also his directorial debut) and Stefani Germanoti (better known as Lady Gaga in her movie debut) play the star crossed lovers of a troubled rock star's descent and her meteoric rise in this modernized version of the film. Cooper plays Jackson Maine, an aging and burned out rock star who tours with his band, and drinks heavily. He is emotionally void and his life just takes him further into the bottle every day. After one of his concerts he hastily rushes off in his limo and stops at a bar to further his drinking. Unbeknownst to him it is a drag bar. The door man at the bar recognizes him and sets him up for further libation, telling him to stay for the show as his friend Ally will be performing. We are introduced to Ally in a previous scene. She is a frustrated limo driver with the musical talent and voice to rival anyone. When she performs The French song En Vive en Rose in full glam makeup and fake eyebrows, Jackson Maine is taken by her performance and realness as well as her amazing voice. You can see he is truly smitten with her even though she feels completely flawed by her looks and points this out to him as a defense mechanism especially her nose. "I think you're beautiful" is his honest response. They continue the evening by going to another bar, getting in a bar fight shopping for an ice pack and sitting on the ground of an empty parking lot, where Ally makes up a song on the spot and belts out a few lyrics. Their quasi date ends and she is taken home to a where she lives with her loving father (brilliantly played by Andrew Dice Clay) But before she goes in Jackson asks her to come to his show later that night. After some coaxing and the fact that she hates her job she is then whisked away on a private jet to his show. It is there he tells the audience that he met a girl and she wrote a song that he wants to perform for the crowd. This is one of the most powerful scenes of the movie. The ballad "Shallow" which I predict will be sung in every Karaoke bar from now to eternity is the best song in the movie. Cooper can really sing too.
Seeing Lady Gaga stripped down from the glamour, make up and glitz of the red carpet that I am so used to seeing is what sells the movie. It's as raw as we get to see her and she completely runs with it, her talent on full display. To his credit, Cooper directs the movie with a steady cam and close ups showing the realism of their budding relationship. Their chemistry is real. The constant strain and mistakes he shows as the flawed Maine makes him damaged yet empathetic. You really root for him to gain control of his life after every tumble.
The second half of the movie delves further into their relationship as they get married. Ally's career takes off like a rocket as her talent is too much to be just Jackson's sidekick at his concerts. She puts out her own album with her new Manager Rez who to me, was a caricature of every British English pompous music producer (think Simon Cowell) Ally does everything she can to support Jackson as her star continues to burn bright, but his reckless ways, continual drinking, drugging and gradual hearing loss makes the downward spiral even sadder to watch.
This culminates in the most cringe inducing moment as she wins the Grammy for best new artist and he drunkenly stumbles on the stage as she is giving her speech and....well. Let's just say, the audience I saw it with let out an audible gasp at what transpired. He has finally hit rock bottom. He checks into a rehab facility. He is full of remorse and after completing the program returns home to the support and love that Ally has for him. But it is still marred by his uncertainty. He feels he is not good enough for her. Ally's manager tells him as much and is just waiting for him to wreck her again in the future. I won't go into the details of the end of the movie. Jackson does what he thinks is the best thing for Ally. But, the ending left me gutted. I looked around the theater and could see wet glistening eyes and heard soft and muffled sobbing all around me. I can't remember the last time a movie pulled me in emotionally the way this one did. I predict Oscars for best picture, best director, Best Actor and Actress and best song at next year's awards. Deservedly so. This movie has stuck with me for the past few days and I have been listening to all the songs on Spotify. That's as great a compliment I can give this wonderful film.