A Star is Born and Reborn and Reborn and Reborn

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2018)

GRADE: B+
THIS FILM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: The ups-and-downs of a well-known love story, told with style, emotion, and mega-talent.
JIM'S REVIEW: We all know the tale of Mrs. Norman Maine a.k.a. Esther Blodgett a.k.a. Vicki Lester, depending on your generation. Why you may even know Esther Hoffman and her drunken husband John Norman Howard, if you were a product of the 70's! Now meet Ally and Jackson Maine.
On stage, Jackson Maine is a still commanding presence with a loyal fanbase. Off stage, he is a mess. Alone, going deaf, reeling from too much drinking, the man is on the decline, not yet realizing his career is over. And then he meets his one true love, Ally, possibly his saving grace, in the fifth remake of this classic love story, namely A Star is Born. (That is, if you also count the original 1932 film, What Price Hollywood in the list of former remakes).
Directed and starring Bradley Cooper, this version delves into the music business with a honest and tell-all approach. He plays Jack, an country western big-time performer who is also an alcoholic losing his hearing and falling to pieces behind the scenes. One day he meets and becomes smitten with an unknown talent, Ally (Lady Gaga), who will become his love interest as she begins to achieve success. Unfortunately their trajectories to fame and fortune never quite match up. Hence, the conflicts of a love affair that ebbs and wanes. Moviegoers, get ready for some high class melodrama and bring your tissues!
What makes this version work so well is the teaming of the leads, a literate screenplay by Eric Roth, Will Fetters, and Mr. Cooper, a strong musical score that is mostly written by Lady Gaga, sensitive direction, and top notch production values. The film captures the initial stages of first love so effectively, that wondrous feeling of attraction when two people find their lasting soulmate. In the film's early scenes, watch Mr. Cooper's acting and Lady Gaga's reactions. Nothing is said, everything is understood. When they team together to sing, as in a lovely original song entitled Shallow, their give-and-take euphoria is undeniable. Their shared chemistry together is palpable and serves as the core of the film. They are simply superb and deserving of award recognition.
The screenplay keeps the central plot moving, even if some supporting characters are underwritten. Solid work comes from Andrew Dice Clay, unrecognizable as Ally's father, David Chappelle as Jack's friend, Rafi Gavron as Ally's calculating business manager, and an excellent Sam Elliott as Jack's frustrated older brother, Bobby.
Mr. Cooper undercuts some of the film's impact with some of his directorial touches (especially in the film's dramatic climax), but overall, he mostly avoids the schmaltz and sentimentality of this predictable story (not always, though) and focuses on the realism of the cut-throat music business and its formulaic marketing of a singing idol. He also powerfully stresses the problem of alcoholism as a viable issue that dooms their relationship.
Music plays an important part in the film and the musical score, a mix of original tunes and covers, is quite strong, especially the aforementioned tune and the film's closing number, I Will Never Love Again, beautifully performed. No, it is not an iconic cinematic musical moment, like Garland's The Man That Got Away scene in the 1953 version, but modern audience can wholeheartedly relate to this ballad and Lady Gaga's thrilling vocal histrionics in the film's fade-out.
The believability factor is needed to make a love story resonate and both Mr. Cooper and his Lady make the film so emotionally engaging an, without a doubt, moving. They are memorable and the chief reasons to see this fine remake of A Star is Born.