Bradley Cooper stuns, and that's It.

Rating: 6/10 (15 October 2018)

I give it ip to Gaga for taking on such an ambitious role as a non-actor (apart from her role on AHS, which I feel is more of an extension of some of the caricatures she has created for herself). Unfortunately, when she and Bradley Cooper are together (and of course they have many scenes together), it is obvious who the actor in this duo really is. She has stage presence, which comes through in the film's concert scenes, but otherwise doesn't fit. One can tell that they have genuine chemistry, but that is not enough to fill in the relationship development that should have occurred during the first third of this film. I disagree with the reviewers who have stated that the film runs long. I found that I kept thinking, "Oh, we're already to this part?" The relationship is taken for granted with no development whatsoever. Scene 1: They meet. Scene 2: They are already madly in love and on their way. I'm oversimplifying, but the lack of development in this area really took a toll on this film given that the relationship is essentially what the entire story is about. Good directorial debut by Cooper, and he does an amazing job with the role. He makes it look as though he's been singing, songwriting, and rocking the guitar his entire life, not merely just the months before filming. (I want to hear him sing more, in fact, but only if it can be in that gravelly Arizona twang he pulled off so well.)
Still and all, the script is so thin it cannot be overlooked. Sam Elliott raises this to 6 stars.