Cooper Carries This Film

Rating: 6/10 (21 October 2018)

I too am surprised by all the fantastic reviews and talk of Oscars for this film. I went to see with high expectations and maybe that's why I am somewhat disappointed in what I came away with. To be fair, I was entertained and did enjoy the movie.
First, most obviously, Lady Gaga's singing is by far the strongest asset she brings to the movie. However, her acting performance is flat and wooden, especially when on screen with a seasoned strong performer like Cooper. At times her performance almost seems awkward and staged. Secondly, Cooper amazingly has a great voice! The songs he sang were actually more enjoyable than the songs Lady Gaga sang. Better written songs and performed really well. The story itself is not breaking any new ground. One career begins to accelerate as another starts to decelerate. The movie is enjoyable, but certainly not this amazing drama with an amazing chemistry between the actors that should suck you in! Cooper carries this story and Gaga could use more acting lessons.