Loved the Romance And The Music Too

Rating: 8/10 (16 October 2018)

Does loving someone mean wanting to be with them or wanting what's best for them? Does loving America mean wanting to hold on to the past or being ready to let go for the sake of a better future?
Bradley Cooper really doesn't play Jackson Maine as a burned out rock star. He plays him as the last cowboy in a dying frontier. He never seems to get sloppy, falling down drunk. Or incoherent. Or flabby and disgusting to look at. He just seems too lean and toned and fit through most of the movie to be believable as a guy who has been drinking to excess for years. This is what happens when a star directs himself. You get a drunk who looks like he's working out three hours a day and not lying around in a puddle of his own urine.
On the other hand, Lady Gaga as Ally was note perfect from beginning to end. I never heard her music before this movie and I can't believe how much I was missing! She's a wonderful actress, too, not just in the teary scenes but in some of the comedy moments and even when she's smashing a framed poster of Jackson's at the end of the movie. Her energy, ambition, passion and love are all real and her emotions crackle even when she's angry and upset.
The supporting cast was amazing too. I never thought I'd live to see Andrew Dice Clay give a better performance than Sam Elliott! But it's amazing how Ally's father is always poignant even when he's meant to be funny, while Jackson Maine's brother is fall-down laughing funny even when he's trying to be profound and meaningful. ("Daddy's grave . . . got washed away in a flash flood!")
There were a few silly moments in this movie, but overall it was really a pleasant surprise.