It's as good as they say it is!

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2018)

A musician helps a young singer find fame, even as alcoholism and being miserable about life have sent his own career into a downward spiral.
The "it" movie of the season that everyone's been talking out has arrived. Yes, it is as good as you have heard. Yes, it is sad but also uplifting. Now, the quick questions out of the way, let's see what the fuss is all about.
"A Star Is Born" is a musical love story starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, directed and co-written by Cooper. It's actually a remake: the sixth screen version of the story, the most famous renditons of which were released in 1937 and 1976, respectively.
But make no mistake - the result feels like a true labor of love from all involved, starting from very committed performances by the leads.
The commitment is evident in both by their preparations for the movie (Cooper taking extensive performing, singing, and guitar training, Gaga helping to write many songs heard here) and good chemistry between them playing lovers. The tenderness between them feels very real.
But even more important is Cooper's courage to lay it all out in the most difficult "format" for any dramatic story - let's not forget that it's his first directorial effort.
First, its a "state of the mind" type of movie which favors examining the central characters' inner psychological conditions to just displaying as much "interesting" events as possible - thus taking the risk that the audience might not stay on the same wavelength and get bored. Especially as the movie is decidedly slow and lasts for 135 minutes.
Secondly, the camerawork relies a lot on close-up scenes, which places an extra toll on actors who have to be ready to carry the intended mood or sentiment for longer time, and able to really feel it in themselves also, so the result will seem more honest on screen.
Cooper, of course, is an experienced (dramatic) actor himself, but he must have had a lot of faith in Gaga also, for whom this is the first major movie role.
Additionally, he wrestled the studio to get the leading lady he wanted, so he had to have double the conviction that Gaga is the best choice for the project.
And I am glad to say that all Cooper's gambles have paid off. The resulting movie feels triumphant. The story and the many songs are not original or unique in themselves but the overall big-ness and psychological immediacy of the movie are noticeable from the very first scene, with Cooper on the stage, handling it like a born rock god.
Visually, "bigness" of the movie can be most clearly perceived in concert scenes where the world seems to stretch out to forever - is this how the musicians feel playing to big crowds?
But it also supports the storytelling. There's always enough time and space for everything to evolve naturally. The characters, their relationships or what they say never feel rushed or one-dimensional, you can sense the living breathing beings behind them.
Gaga fills the central position of the movie, and she's surprisingly good and natural at acting - it is not an easy job, demanding a lot of spoken text and willingness to open up to a range of feelings, not to mention carry them in close-ups. It must be one of the most successful first big roles from a singer I've ever seen. Yup, it's that good.
But Cooper as the rock star slowly burning out is just phenomenal. Not only are the concert scenes powerful, but the pain he lives seems is so pure that you just have to symphatize for the guy.
The tears of "rich and famous" are probably hard to relate to the most of us but he's able to relate to the audience on this human level where everybody is equal. There's no glamorizing the life style that the character has chosen, Cooper takes us straight to the shadow side.
Speaking of the other actors, I especially like the decision of using legendary stand-up comedians such as Andrew Dice Clay and Dave Chappelle in important supporting roles.
It's funny how, in general, comedians are always great in supporting roles, especially serious ones, but rarely offer something interesting as leads.
Also, there's a great supporting role by Sam Elliott as the rock star's equally-worn brother/manager. If this doesn't get the screen veteran his third and finally winning Oscar nom, then it's difficult to guess what will.
Elliott's character gets to directly display the mental exhaustion and desperation his brother the rock star hides inside, which gives their shared scenes always some extra suspense.
So... despite the relative lack of originality, this is a fresh and confident film-making at its best. The authors have something to say, know how to say it, and do it well.
I've only seen 45 movies released in 2018 so far, but this is the most compelling and heartfelt of all. A great directing debut from a continuously interesting and relevant actor as well. Go see it.