movie review a star is born 2018

A Star is Born

There’s a scene early into Bradley Cooper ’s crowd-pleasing “A Star is Born” that distills what it’s really about and why it will hook viewers till the last frame. Cooper’s Jackson Maine, an alt-country singer with a bit more heavy guitar, is getting drunk in a drag club after a show when he meets Lady Gaga ’s Ally. Having worked at the club before, and now waitressing elsewhere, she’s come back to sing a song, a jaw-dropping version of “ La Vie en Rose .” She sashays her way down the bar and ends up locking eyes with Maine as her vocals continue to rise. He is blown away by her talent, but there’s something deeper in that eye contact. Something ineffable. Not long after, while Ally is getting ready to leave with Maine to get another drink, he plays a heartfelt song of his own for the club owner, and she comes out as he’s wrapping up, making eye contact as his vocals find emotional depth. These are two people who fall in love with each other’s talent as much as anything else, inspired by one another in a way that artists often are. This story has been told several times before—and influenced other similar romances—but Cooper and Gaga find a way to make this feel fresh and new. It’s in their eyes.

Before that first night is over, Jackson has realized the depth of Ally’s talent, even hearing her sing part of a song she wrote that will soon become a massive hit for the two of them. These early scenes of “A Star is Born,” especially the first in which Ally sings in front of a Maine audience, are magical. There’s an unforced chemistry between Cooper and Lady Gaga that makes these characters easy to root for, and I’ll admit to a natural affinity for stories of true talent finally coming out of the shadows. The real Gaga knows a thing or two about how one rises from waitress to superstar, and she nails the blend of apprehension and confidence that this kind of thing takes. Of course, Ally is nervous to go on stage or to write songs, but she also senses she’s pretty damn good at it. She’s no mere wallflower watered by a confident man. She’s a force of nature who Jackson gives the encouragement to do her thing.

Of course, the arc of all versions of “A Star is Born” is pretty much the same in that it’s about one comet rising while another crashes. The first time we see Jackson, he’s popping pills, and he’s deeply alcoholic. He allows his demons even more space as he watches his partner achieve massive fame with a form of pop that he finds shallow. Cooper does some of the best work of his career as the kind of man who’s always restless. A friend played by Dave Chappelle tries to offer the advice that every man needs to eventually settle down and stay in a port instead of pulling anchor and moving on again, but Jackson can’t stay still. He’s one of those addicts who uses any excuse to fuck things up. He is as self-sabotaging as he is talented, but Cooper avoids just enough of the clichés of the “alcoholism movie” to keep him real. It’s an excellent performance, one that balances Gaga’s in fascinating ways. As she becomes more of a pop legend and he maintains his whiskey-drinking aesthetic, it’s easy to see them pulling apart but the performers keep us believing that these people care about and even need each other. Sometimes the same need that builds us up can eventually destroy us.

“A Star is Born” loses its way slightly in the second half as Ally becomes a household name. Some of the pop fame material doesn’t work, especially a misjudged “SNL” musical performance, as it seems to almost treat what Ally (and even Gaga herself in the real world) do a bit too superficially. The movie seems to agree too easily with Jackson’s belief that pop is disposable. It isn’t always. And the triangle that forms between Ally, Jackson, and Ally’s manager is the most clichéd and least effective aspect of the film. Luckily, Cooper the director regains his footing in the end, bringing his debut film in for the emotional conclusion that even those who haven’t seen the originals will be able to predict is coming, but be moved by nonetheless.

Cynics may be tempted to rip apart “A Star is Born” but there’s just too much that’s been done right here for them to sound legit. (A friend joked, “It’s a musical even angry people can like.”) It’s about the people. As is so often the case with actors-turned-directors, Cooper knows how to direct his cast, getting great work from Gaga, Sam Elliott , Andrew Dice Clay , and more. And the film is anchored by its heart-baring music—Cooper wisely allows Gaga to sing complete songs more than once, while also holding his own as a singer himself. A lot of ticket buyers go to the movies for the characters, people they can feel like they know and maybe even care about, and “A Star is Born” delivers two of the most memorable of the year. It’s a film that believes in the power of a song to connect with its listener in a way that can change their lives. And it will be a beloved piece of work for those who believe in it too.

This review was originally filed from the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Andrew Dice Clay as Lorenzo
Lady Gaga as Ally
Dave Chappelle as Noodles
Sam Elliott as Bobby Maine
Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine
Alec Baldwin as Saturday Night Live Host
Bradley Cooper
Will Fetters
Jay Cassidy

Cinematography

Matthew Libatique

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A Star Is Born

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With appealing leads, deft direction, and an affecting love story, A Star Is Born is a remake done right -- and a reminder that some stories can be just as effective in the retelling.

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Film Review: ‘A Star Is Born’

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are stunning together in Cooper's rapturous rock 'n' roll remake of a romantic saga that never gets old.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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“ A Star Is Born ” is that thing we always yearn for but so rarely get to see: a transcendent Hollywood movie. It’s the fourth remake of a story that dates back to 1932, but this one has a look and vibe all its own — rapturous and swooning, but also delicate and intimate and luminous. It’s set in the present day, but in spirit it’s a sophisticated retro ’70s drama built around the uncanny flow of feeling that develops between the movie’s two stars: Bradley Cooper , who plays Jackson Maine, a hard-drinking, bad-ol’-boy redneck rock ‘n’ roller who is still hanging on as a popular attraction but has lost the lust for what he’s doing, and Lady Gaga , in her fetching and accomplished movie-star debut, as Ally, an ingenuous, fresh-faced singer-songwriter who becomes his lover and stage partner before rocketing on her own into the new pop stratosphere.

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She takes off as he slowly crashes — that’s the soapy tragic “Star Is Born” concept. But what the movie does is to take this fabled melodramatic romantic seesaw and turn it into something indelibly heartfelt and revealing. Cooper directed the movie himself, working from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Will Fetters, and to say that he does a good job would be to understate his accomplishment. As a filmmaker, Bradley Cooper gets right onto the high wire, staging scenes that take their time and play out with a shaggy intimacy that’s shorn of the usual “beats.” The new “Star Is Born” is a total emotional knockout, but it’s also a movie that gets you to believe, at every step, in the complicated rapture of the story it’s telling.

The 1976 version, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, had some terrific cornball love songs, but they didn’t belong anywhere near the stadium-rock stage, and neither did Streisand, which is part of why the movie came off as borderline ludicrous. It seemed stranded, with a kind of campy sincere ineptitude, between three worlds: Old Hollywood, New Hollywood, and Barbra Streisand rock-princess fantasy.

But from the electrifying opening moments of the new version, in which Jackson, boozy and raw, with his sunburned squint and hard-bitten shit-kicker sexiness, takes the stage of a gigantic stadium and launches into a grinding slow rocker that sounds like “Victim of Love”-era Eagles as done by the Allman Brothers, the movie is thrillingly authentic. That’s no minor accomplishment. Hollywood almost never succeeds in nailing the rock world, but “A Star Is Born,” though a love story through and through, is the most lived-in rock ‘n’ roll movie since “Almost Famous.” And that absolute looks right , sounds right , feels right verisimilitude sets the stage for everything that follows.

Jackson, who looks to be in his mid-40s, has been around long enough that he now occupies a grey zone between legend and nostalgia. He can still fill an arena full of screaming fans, and his old hits have become classic-rock chestnuts, but his sound and persona have long slipped out of the zeitgeist. His whole outlaw look — the beard and rancher’s hat, the Kristofferson-meets-Skynyrd soused macho twinkle — mark him as a charismatic relic, and the grand irony is this: What that look, and sound, are all about is an era when rock ‘n’ roll strutted its “authenticity,” but now that he’s out of date, Jackson’s authenticity looks more than ever like a showbiz conceit, frozen in amber. It’s a part he’s playing, an image he’s working — and secretly struggling — to keep alive. He’s got a signature ballad that goes “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die,” and when he wrote it (long ago), he probably didn’t know that he was talking about himself.

In the first of many telling jump cuts, the film leaps from his on-stage glory to Jackson slinking into the back of his car, weary and alone, grabbing the bottle of gin he’s got stashed there. He takes a guzzle, and Cooper, acting with his body, lets you feel just how much Jackson (between sickly coughs) needs the lifeblood of that drink. It’s what he believes in more than the show he’s just finished.

How do you play a drunk? We know, of course, that the answer is not to “play drunk,” but Cooper doesn’t just avoid the usual slurry shambling (though at key moments he does a little of that too, and it’s powerful). He brings off something I’ve rarely seen done this exquisitely: He plays blitzed, very functional and in his element, his smile and reflexes greased by the liquor. Jackson speaks in a deep, low, deliberate Southern-stud growl — a voice with real music in it, though one that lets you taste all the booze it’s marinated in.

Needing another drink, he has his driver drop him off at the first available bar, which turns out to be a roadside dive on drag-queen karaoke night. It’s not his scene, but he doesn’t mind. He’s the same celebrity everywhere he goes, so he’s in the perfect mood of lit-up contentment when she walks on stage.

She is Ally, the one non-drag performer of the night (she’s friends with all the queens there, so they let her sing for real). When she enters the room, the movie pulls off a neat trick. We’ve already seen Ally break up with her boyfriend over the phone, letting out a banshee wail in the process, and when she appears in heavy white-make up and pasted on half-circle eyebrows, her hair teased into a punked-out French pastry, then does a strutting-down-the-bar version of “La Vie en Rose” that she milks for every flourish of theatrical kitsch she can, we think, “Of course! How Gaga-netic!” Backstage after the show, Jackson gently pulls off one of Ally’s eyebrows and asks her out for a drink.

But when she emerges from the dressing room minus all the Gaga trappings, we’re shocked to see a young woman with softly falling straight brown hair and the sweetest of chiclet-tooth grins, and this is the movie’s way of saying: Ladies and gentlemen, meet Lady Gaga, actress. A character we haven’t seen before.

Ally, make no mistake, has sass to spare (later that evening, when Jackson is confronted by a troublemaker at his favorite cop bar, she gives him a punch), but Gaga, in an ebullient and winningly direct performance, never lets her own star quality get in the way of the character. Or, rather, she lets us see that star quality is something that lives inside Ally but is still waiting to come out (the way it was in the young Streisand of “Funny Girl”). Ally works as a waitress and lives with her dad, the Sinatra-fixated passive-aggressive Teddy bear Lorenzo (Andrew Dice Clay) in a modest suburban neighborhood, and she and Jackson strike an unforced connection. He can let down his guard around her, and his wistful melancholy starts to seep out.

Cooper has made a jaggedly tender love story that is never over-the-top, an operatic movie that dares to be quiet. Ally has something that Jackson recognizes because he used to have it too: the songwriter’s passion, the drive to take your own story and turn it into a jukebox poem. They have a great conversation about her Roman nose — which plays, knowingly, off the prejudices of the music industry that Gaga confronted on her way up. Ally thinks her nose is too big (or so she’s been told), but Jackson thinks it’s beautiful — and, of course, he’s right.

He listens to a song she wrote, and can tell that she’s got the gift, so after wooing her to one of his concerts, he suddenly brings her onstage to sing that song with him. It’s called “Shallow,” and when their voices melt together on the line “We’re far from the shallow now,” we melt along with them, and when Ally suddenly sends the song into a higher register, you will feel tingles rippling through your body. It’s an absolutely ecstatic moment, because it’s about the fusion of these two voices and souls, about Jackson coming back to life, about Ally realizing her destiny, and about the audience’s rediscovery of what romance in a movie can still be: a volt to the heart.

Does Jackson want Ally to become a star? Sort of. He’s the one who makes it possible, but after a video of their live duet goes viral, she’s approached after a show by a rock manager, Dez (Rafi Gavron), who gives her the I-can-make-you-a-star rap. Immediately, we know where this is going: to a place Jackson is not going to like. The manager represents the dissolution of Jackson’s sway over Ally, something the movie views in contemporary feminist terms. In his dissolute-rocker way, Jackson is grounded in the old male establishment, a place where Ally can be a “girl singer.” What he doesn’t realize is that she’s going to embrace stardom on her own terms, and they aren’t his.

Rafi Gavron’s terrific performance as Rez, the tough-love manager, is a great example of what’s so compelling about the new “Star Is Born.” We’ve seen this character — slick, British, corporate — before, and he’s always played as an insidious pest who symbolizes the big sellout. But that’s not the way Gavron plays him. He makes Rez a smart and compelling straight shooter, and the movie never caricatures him as a sleaze.

Instead, it flips our expectations. Ally gets plugged into the 21st-century pop machine — high-dazzle robotic choreography, a new glam look with flaming red hair, the whole media swirl, complete with meticulously timed rollout performance on “Saturday Night Live” — and we realize that the film is playing off Lady Gaga’s own rise. The fascination of this is that instead of satirizing Ally’s journey as some sort of plunge into synthetic marketing decadence, the movie says, in essence: This is the new landscape, same as the old landscape . Next to Jackson’s world, it looks “inauthentic” (and viewers of a certain age may automatically view it that way), but Jackson’s world probably looked inauthentic to the generation before it. The movie says that in pop (as in life), it’s always time for the old ways to die, and for the new ways to be born.

That’s what Jackson can’t handle, and it’s why he drinks. Cooper has a couple of scenes in which Jackson gets sloppy and nasty: he “affectionately” smears Ally’s face with cake, and when she’s taking a bath, and he’s really sozzled, he starts to rag on her and even drops the U-word (“ugly”), which shocks us. But it’s part of the power of “A Star Is Born” that their relationship is never one-note; it’s tender, sexy, angry, jealous, and sad, all at the same time. It’s a real love, and could have stayed that way except that Jackson is too broken. The movie lets us touch his damage, body and soul: the hearing loss accompanied by tinnitus (which we hear on the soundtrack), the sense that going through the motions of stardom for too long has ground him to a weary nub. Sam Elliott, with white hair, his mopey bluntness sharper than ever, plays Jackson’s older brother, Bobby, who has been his road manager for years (but has had it with cleaning up after Jackson’s messes), and the two actors give their fights, and embraces, a deeply rooted sense of the past. They got a raw deal growing up with a drunken father, and they’re still playing it out.

The best version of “A Star Is Born” has always been the 1954 George Cukor version: moody, purplish, extravagant, driven by Judy Garland’s self-dramatizing fever. The scene you remember best from it, apart from Garland singing “The Man That Got Away,” is James Mason’s demented drunken slap of Garland during the Academy Awards — one of the most outrageous moments in movie history. In the new “Star Is Born,” Bradley Cooper pays homage to that moment, in a scene set at the Grammys, and actually tops it in outrageousness, in sick-joke masochistic power. And he does it convincingly. That’s part of the magnetic pull of this version — it, too, is a romance heightened by the cruel mirror of showbiz. Yet it has a naked humanity that leaves you wowed. These two people, the rising star and the fading star, are locked in a love as true as it is torn, and by the end of the movie they’ve both become us. “A Star Is Born” is a reminder of the scrappy grand passion that movies are all about.

Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Out of Competition), Aug. 31, 2018. Running time: 135 MIN.

Production: A Warner Bros. release, in association with Live Nation Productions, in association with MGM Pictures, of a Jon Peters/Bill Gerber/Joint Effort Production prod. Producers: Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Lynette Howell Taylor. Executive producers: Ravi Mehta, Basil Iwanyk, Niija Kuykendall, Sue Kroll, Michael Rapino, Heather Parry.
Crew: Director: Bradley Cooper. Screenplay: Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters. Camera (color, widescreen): Matthew Libatique. Editor: Jay Cassidy. Music: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Diane Warren.
With: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Rafi Gavron, Dave Chappelle, Rebecca Field, Michael Harney, Shangela Laquifa Wadley, William Belli, Anthony Ramos.

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A star is born.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 37 Reviews
Kids Say 60 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Cooper, Lady Gaga shine in tragic story of love, addiction.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

A main character abuses and alcohol, drugs. He drinks to excess, sometimes strai

Frequent (more than 100 uses) of strong language, including "f--k," "f---ing," "

Frequent kissing. Several sex scenes of varying degrees of intimacy that include

A character punches people a couple of times. One scene in which an addict acts

Brands/products shown include Prius, iPhone, Yamaha piano, Interscope Records, S

Any Positive Content?

Although parts are more cautionary than inspiring, story offers positive message

Jackson and Ally are both flawed, but they do love each other, respect each othe

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A main character abuses and alcohol, drugs. He drinks to excess, sometimes straight from bottle, also takes prescription and illegal drugs, snorting and injecting them. Other adults drink, too -- at bars, parties, behind the scenes at concerts, at home. A character is visibly stoned/drunk in several scenes, even becoming incontinent/incoherent at times. Part of the movie takes place in residential rehab. Characters smoke cigarettes and marijuana. Both main characters recall their fathers' drinking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent (more than 100 uses) of strong language, including "f--k," "f---ing," "s--t," and, to a lesser degree, "a--hole," "ass," "t-ts," "t-tties," "bitch," "oh my God," etc.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Frequent kissing. Several sex scenes of varying degrees of intimacy that include shots of bare backs, sides of breasts, etc. Characters are seen in the tub alone and together; there's a quick, nonsexual glimpse of a naked woman's body getting out of a bath. Partial glimpse of a man's buttock as he receives an injection. A drag queen reveals her fake breasts for Jackson to autograph.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A character punches people a couple of times. One scene in which an addict acts erratically/in a disturbing manner in public. Recollections of an abusive father. [Spoiler alert!] A character recalls a failed suicide attempt, later dies by suicide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Brands/products shown include Prius, iPhone, Yamaha piano, Interscope Records, Saturday Night Live , Dodge Ram, Ford, Grammys.

Positive Messages

Although parts are more cautionary than inspiring, story offers positive messages about importance of art and music, letting your voice be heard. Promotes idea that show business, particularly music industry, can be demanding, manipulative, forcing artists into easy-to-market types. Reveals how dangerous, disturbing alcohol/drug abuse is, why those with suicidal and addictive personalities need proper therapy, support, rehabilitation. Compassion is a clear theme.

Positive Role Models

Jackson and Ally are both flawed, but they do love each other, respect each other's talents. Jackson is an addict but also a dedicated, committed musician. Ally is supportive, loving but possibly enabling of Jackson's substance abuse until it becomes overwhelming.

Parents need to know that A Star Is Born is the fourth big-screen take on a tragic love story centered around the pitfalls of substance abuse and show business. Starring Bradley Cooper (making his directorial debut) as a stadium-filling rock star and Lady Gaga as the struggling singer he discovers and falls for, this version, like its predecessors, revolves around alcoholism and addiction, so there's lots of drinking and drug use, often to excess. You can also expect strong language in nearly every scene, particularly "f--k" and "s--t." This mature romance has lots of kissing, several love scenes, and a couple instances of partial nudity, both in sexual and nonsexual contexts. And while the movie has messages about the importance of art and letting your voice be heard, it also explores heavy themes, including mental health, substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, and more. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (37)
Kids say (60)

Based on 37 parent reviews

Cooper and Gaga shine so bright...one bulb brightens the other one dims

What's the story.

A STAR IS BORN -- actor Bradley Cooper 's directorial debut -- is another take on the tragic love story that was previously turned into movies in 1937, 1954 , and 1976. It tells the story of a musician who falls in love with a talented singer, only to see her fame take off -- and surpass -- his own. Cooper, who also co-wrote the adaptation, stars as Jackson Maine, a hard-drinking, Eddie Vedder-meets-Neil Young-type who discovers Ally ( Lady Gaga ) while she performs at a drag bar and is instantly mesmerized by her talent. The two connect both personally and professionally, and soon Ally is writing, touring, and performing with Jackson, who turns over the stage to her and offers support as she launches her solo career. But as Ally's star begins to rise, Jackson's substance abuse and personal demons overwhelm him, threatening his stability and her dreams.

Is It Any Good?

Cooper's passionate, thoughtful directorial debut is beautifully acted and fabulously shot, making it the best cinematic version to date of this heartbreaking story. It's obvious how immersed in the role Cooper became; his research and commitment to his role -- and to the movie as a whole -- are breathtaking. And in Lady Gaga, he found the perfect co-star to play Ally, a struggling singer with a big voice and a lot to say, but not enough confidence to say it. Cooper and Gaga's chemistry is palpable, and their characters' romance is utterly riveting and realistic. Working from a script he co-wrote with veterans Will Fetters and Eric Roth, Cooper directs the movie to showcase the performances, but also the sensory aspects of fame: the overload of applause and adoration followed by moments of silence and isolation.

The movie's music is fabulous, and it's impressive how well Cooper can hold his own while singing with Lady Gaga. We already knew that she could act, but that Cooper can sing is a revelation. There are many memorable songs, but "Shallow" and "I'll Never Love Again" are particularly powerful and emotional. The music evokes the highs and lows of Jackson and Ally's relationship, and it reveals the difficulty of staying true to your artistic voice in an era when everything -- even a marriage -- can be reduced to marketability. In addition to Gaga, Cooper has rounded up an impressive supporting cast, including Sam Elliott as Jackson's older brother/tour manager, Bobby; Andrew Dice Clay as Ally's proud working-class father; and Dave Chappelle and Hamilton star Anthony Ramos as old friends. There's not a false note in this ultimately heartbreaking remake, and it sets the bar remarkably high for Cooper's continuing career as a director.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the alcohol and drug use in A Star Is Born. How is addiction portrayed? Are there consequences to the substance abuse? Why is that important?

Does watching this movie make you interested in seeing any of the previous versions of the story? Why do you think so many filmmakers in different eras have wanted to revisit this plot?

Jackson believes that music should mean something and is critical of some of the superficial pop songs Ally sings once her career takes off. What do you think? Does all music have to be deep or meaningful?

What motivated Jackson's self-destructive decisions? Were you surprised by the ending, or did you pick up on the foreshadowing?

What is the movie saying about the music business? About fame in general?

Movie Details

In theaters : October 5, 2018
On DVD or streaming : February 19, 2019
Cast : Bradley Cooper , Lady Gaga , Sam Elliott
Director : Bradley Cooper
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Bisexual actors
Studio : Warner Bros.
Genre : Drama
Topics : Music and Sing-Along
Character Strengths : Compassion
Run time : 135 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language throughout, some sexuality/nudity and substance abuse
Awards : Academy Award , Golden Globe - Golden Globe Award Winner
Last updated : June 20, 2024

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A Star Is Born Is One Hell of a Magic Trick

No matter what you think of Lady Gaga (née Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta), it should be a relief to hear that Bradley Cooper’s rousing A Star Is Born is not Gaga Land. The Lady is very much down to earth and compos mentis. Discovered by country-and-western star Jackson Maine (Cooper) after he inadvertently stumbles, blotto, into a drag bar in search of more booze and watches her transform “La Vie en Rose” into the sultriest of ballads, Gaga’s Ally accepts his attention with a mix of infatuation and wariness.

He’s a drunk, you see, like her dad (Andrew Dice Clay!), and also incredibly famous, which her dad has always pushed her to be despite agents and managers telling her that her nose is too big. Yes, you read that right. Lady Gaga triumphs as a young woman averse to artifice and the pursuit of fame. It’s a hell of a magic act.

The first half of A Star Is Born couldn’t be more charming. It leaves all three previous versions in the dust in the meet-cute department, largely because Gaga manages to be fresher and more believably real than Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland (who looked dissipated), and Barbra Streisand. And Cooper is delightful. Although he’s largely hidden behind a beard, long hair, and a squint, his purring bass-baritone is to swoon over. That it’s stolen from Sam Elliott makes it all the more amusing when Elliott shows up as Jackson’s much older brother and accuses Jackson of stealing his voice. Scenes that should make you groan work like gangbusters, among them the one in which Jackson pulls Ally onstage before a packed arena to sing a song of hers that he heard once but can reproduce from memory. (The band starts tentatively and then begins to nod — Hey, this is good — when they see her talent.) Cooper’s direction is so tight and intimate—his camera handheld, level with the characters — that you root hard for the sequence to work. It would suck if it didn’t.

Maybe your affection for the first half will even pull you through the much lesser second, but the story remains schmaltz, and Cooper and co-screenwriters Eric Roth and Will Fetters haven’t rethought it for the age of YouTube and American Idol, when much of the star-making apparatus is devoted to making celebrities seem closer to us mortals. There’s no satire, nothing to distinguish music stardom now from the ’30s, ’50s, or ’70s. Worse, Gaga’s Ally loses all agency. Manipulated by a cynical Brit manager called Rez (Rafi Gavron), who’s probably meant to evoke Simon Cowell, she settles into a middling groove at the point when you want to see a Gaga-like supernova. Mostly, she suffers prettily.

Cooper kills in the later scenes, when he’s struggling with sobriety and escalating tinnitus. He doesn’t jerk your tears — he eases them out until you suddenly realize you’re a mess. But this is A Star Is Born for an era in which alcoholism is a “disease,” and unless Maine is at least partly a heel — a jealous sonuvabitch — the story has no melodramatic pulse. It won’t matter to most audiences, though, who’ll be there for a glimpse of the soul under the meat dress and want to see Gaga at the Oscars as much as they want to see Ally at the Grammys.

*A version of this article appears in the October 1, 2018, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

A Star Is Born was nominated for eight Oscars in 2019 , including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song.

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Movie Review: A Star Is Born (2018)

Aaron Leggo
Movie Reviews
--> October 20, 2018

Choosing a third remake of A Star Is Born , a classic rags-to-riches movie that has a history of attracting legendary talent from Fredric March to Judy Garland, as your directorial debut is a risky move, but it’s one that Bradley Cooper pulls off quite well. The actor’s rise from TV sidekick to cool comic relief to celebrated A-lister has been a surprising trajectory already, so Cooper’s smooth transition to behind-the-camera ringleader merely marks another impressive chapter in his professional growth.

Perhaps it’s more surprising that Lady Gaga (“ Muppets Most Wanted ”), this version’s titular Star, is so good in her role of Ally, a restaurant server by day who catches the eye of country star Jackson Maine (Cooper, “ American Sniper ”) during one of her after-hours singing gigs. Gaga may have plenty of experience in front of cameras, but her sparse acting credits have been mostly limited to bit parts and cameos as herself, so tackling this huge part in a big-screen feature poses a considerable challenge for her.

Just as her director/costar rises to his own challenge of juggling so many responsibilities, Gaga wholly and excitingly embraces the task at hand, pouring her heart and soul into her character’s tumultuous and meteoric rise. Perhaps what is most intriguing about Gaga’s performance is how it mirrors much of the onscreen relationship.

The story, as told several times before, is of an industry veteran that falls for a wide-eyed dreamer and then helps launch her into orbit, only to find that fame is fickle. The veteran helps his partner out and then reaches a point where she doesn’t need his help anymore, where her star eclipses his. Their changing careers become the backdrop of their love story.

Fittingly, Cooper clearly helps Gaga become a better actress, supporting her both on sides of the camera. As the movie progresses, the star comes into her own and fills the screen convincingly and compellingly. The key here is that the role and material fit Gaga like a glove and that goes a long way to helping her honestly capture the character.

It’s easy to engage in hyperbole when someone with little acting experience suddenly unleashes a spectacular breakout role, but it’s equally easy to temper the temptation by simply suggesting that Gaga is less a chameleonic talent than a confident superstar who has chosen wisely. Her chemistry with Cooper sizzles and her real-life success in the music industry automatically lends authenticity to Ally’s arc.

As the more seasoned pro of the pair, Cooper fares even better, croaking out a weathered drawl and drunkenly stumbling around in a manner that feels deeply lived in. It’s quite possibly his best performance to date, a juicy reminder of how far he’s come as an actor and how beneficial those years spent making David O. Russell movies clearly were for him. He’s stretching himself here, doing something he hasn’t done before, and making his considerable transformation look utterly effortless.

These two lead performances, along with some stirring new songs, are the greatest strengths of A Star Is Born by far, which makes sense considering the subject matter. Gaga and Cooper really click with the emotional elements of the material and bring a lot of energy to the very simple and familiar story.

Their combined charisma helps iron out some issues. Cooper, who also co-wrote the script, faithfully recreates moments and lines from previous versions of the tale, which is an understandable decision, but one that proves his focus is on crafting a respectful remake rather than modernizing through innovation. There’s nothing inherently wrong with such an approach, especially since many filmmakers mounting remakes do so out of fondness for the original(s). It only seems as though a fourth version of the story, arriving more than 80 years after the first take, should have more room to breathe on its own. Instead, Cooper specifically molds his movie to mimic the 1937 original a little too stringently.

His directing is slick, solid, seasoned, all things that don’t usually come naturally, but it’s also unadventurous throughout, sturdy to the point of being overly mechanical at times. It’s a good debut, but the riskiness of tackling this property is softened by a certain degree of safeness that mutes the movie’s dramatic impact.

Less of a pointed criticism is that the pic’s best moment, a bring-the-house-down performance of signature song “The Shallow” as Jack pulls Ally onstage unexpectedly, is positioned well before the halfway point of the 135-minute movie. In many ways, that’s not a big deal, but it’s an epic high that the movie fails to reach again.

With Cooper’s steady hand behind the camera and his chemistry with Gaga lighting up in front of it, A Star Is Born still works as a whole and these quibbles take a backseat for much of the running time. Notes of comic relief amidst the grooving gravitas are nicely balanced as well, aiding Cooper’s aim to deliver a crowd-pleasing experience. The screen isn’t exactly set ablaze, but considering this umpteenth remake’s high potential for redundancy, its star burns bright enough.

Tagged: alcoholic , marriage , musician , remake , singer

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REVIEW: “A Star is Born” (2018)

There is nothing glaringly new about Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” aside from some fresh new faces and a weird affection for F-bombs. It’s a movie that has been done three previous times – in 1937, 1954, and 1976. Collectively those three earlier versions earned a total of 17 Oscar nominations. So Cooper picked a story with a history of Awards attention and by the sounds of it that trend is continuing. Many have already christened Cooper’s directorial debut the greatest thing since sliced bread.

First things first, Cooper shows himself to be a more than capable director. His pacing is good even at 135 minutes. He shows off an undeniably keen eye when shooting the musical numbers. He wastes no time putting together the central relationship and he smartly keeps his focus in the right places. Although you could question the decision to shift that focus in the final third of the movie.

It takes less than 15 minutes for the two lead characters to meet. Cooper’s Jackson Maine is a bonafide star selling out venues across the country. Packed in with his years of stardom is his unshakable alcohol and drug abuse. After a big show and fresh out of booze, Jackson stumbles into a bar on drag night looking for a drink. Singing that evening is Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress and aspiring yet insecure singer/songwriter. After one verse of “La Vie en rose” Jackson is hooked and as the title suggests a star is born.

It doesn’t take long to recognize the sharp chemistry between Cooper and Gaga. The movie’s first half is its strongest as their relationship begins to take form and Ally’s star begins its meteoric rise. Cooper and his co-writers Eric Roth and Will Fetters rightly make Gaga the highlight, giving her plenty of chances to show off some surprisingly good acting chops and of course a brilliant singing voice. There is nothing particularly mind-blowing about her handling of dialogue. Her real strength is in her ability to express whether it be specific looks or a pinpoint gesture. Cooper seems to know this. His camera will often sit on her, many times in closeup. It’s a smart move.

While Gaga is getting most of the attention Cooper’s performance is equally impressive, a bit mannered but more often instinctive. His disheveled look and gravelly voice speak to a character worn down by his personal excesses and painful past. Most of that past is revealed through scenes with his older brother/manager/chaperone Bobby. He’s played by the wonderfully rugged and always good Sam Elliott. And in the final act when Jack takes centerstage (for better or worse), Cooper’s performance maintains a steady authenticity. He’s also no slouch when it comes to singing.

And of course that leads to the musical numbers, a central component sure to sell a ton of soundtracks and dominate its category come awards season. Many are shot with such energy and emotion, none better than the signature song “Shallow”. Not only is it the film’s best sequence, it’s one of the year’s very best scenes. From the exciting buildup to the powerful heart-melting crescendo, it’s impossible to watch without a tear running down your cheek. Even the final song (a bit on the nose but sure to tug at the heartstrings of its target audience) is full of heart and leans on Gaga’s dynamic and soulful voice.

Ally connects with an agent (Rafi Gavron) who packages her and launches her career. At the same time Jack watches his career crumble under the weight of his personal demons. But their relationship remains front and center. Unfortunately there are a few too many gaps in Jack and Ally’s romance. There is also some unresolved and pretty significant business the end of the movie fails to address. I wouldn’t call it an essential plot piece but it deserved a resolution. Still, it’s hard to deny what Cooper and Gaga bring to the screen. And stellar supporting work from Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, and Dave Chappelle doesn’t hurt.

While the story of “A Star is Born” may be familiar, there are enough good choices from Bradley Cooper to make his version of this ‘oft told tale’ feel fresh. Perhaps the smartest decision is not making this telling about bitter jealousy. One star still launches while the other plummets, but here we see deeper and more personal poisons working against them. It’s the more personal angle which makes this imperfect but rousing crowd-pleaser stand out from its three predecessors.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

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‘A Star Is Born’ Is the Best, Worst, and Most Befuddling Movie of 2018

Because every day brings a new story that makes the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga–starring film sound like a disaster—while at the time another story makes it sound like an all-time classic—here is a running post compiling the perplexing movie’s increasingly perplexing press tour

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Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga pressing their heads against each other

Do you hear that noise? I hear it too, some sort of guttural yell, a plea to the gods to be heard. It’s getting louder no—

Lady Gaga signing into a microphone with Bradley Cooper smiling in the background. The caption reads: “HAAAAAAA AH AH AH AHHH”

This can mean only one thing: The press tour for Bradley Cooper and Stefani Germanotta’s —sorry, Lady Gaga’s—musical drama, A Star Is Born , is gearing up. The movie, which hits theaters in October and, again, is a remake of a remake of a remake, has become one of 2018’s most-talked-about films since the first trailer dropped in June. Due to some combination of Lady Gaga being in a starring role, Cooper directing for the first time, early murmurs dubbing the movie a classic , and of course the image of Cooper sticking his head out of a car window looking quite jaundiced , A Star Is Born is the sweet, sweet nexus of prestige-inclined cinema and memeability. Not since HBO’s The Young Pope has a piece of art been so befuddling and so tantalizing. A Star Is Born is either going to be the best movie of the year or the most baffling misfire in recent memory and biggest winner at next year’s Razzies.

Which is why we just had to introduce Star Watch: an ongoing collection of updates from the movie’s press tour that reiterate just how gloriously confusing it is. Perhaps a month from know we will know if A Star Is Born is a masterpiece or a disasterpiece; until then, this is all we have.

Monday, August 27: A Star Is Born Is the Greatest Movie in the History of Cinema

Reviews are not out for A Star Is Born —it won’t debut until Friday at the Venice International Film Festival—but one website did accidentally publish a review early , and, for narrative sake, it was the best possible review of A Star Is Born that could have ever been prematurely published. What Talkhouse inadvertently unleashed upon the internet by publishing filmmaker Jim Hemphill’s review is akin to the opening of the Ark of the Covenant, because according to Hemphill, A Star Is Born might be … the greatest movie ever made?

Hemphill compared his viewing experience to the first time he watched Goodfellas , Boogie Nights , and Unforgiven —some of the greatest films ever made—and compared Cooper’s directorial debut to that of Robert Redford, with Ordinary People (read: very good). Furthermore, Hemphill wrote that “Cooper has somehow figured out how to marry the precision of a [Alfred] Hitchcock or [Stanley] Kubrick with the emotional generosity and psychologically probing nature of a [John] Cassavetes or [Elia] Kazan.” OK, then! To recap: Cooper may be one of the best filmmakers of all time, and the movie itself may be as good as some of Martin Scorsese’s and Paul Thomas Anderson’s best work. As if I weren’t already struggling to parse my feelings about A Star Is Born , Hemphill comes flying off the top rope and basically calls it the best movie ever made. The hyperbole of it all is confounding, and yet, very fitting.

Thursday, August 30: Hell Yeah, This Soundtrack

While you’ll have to wait until A Star Is Born ’s October release to listen to the soundtrack, you can look at the track list right now and let it burrow into your mind. The first thing you need to know about this soundtrack is that it features 15 dialogue tracks that, quote, ”take listeners on a journey that mirrors the experience of seeing the film,” as if listening to people talk equates to a cinematic experience. (That being said: I would watch this movie in 4DX if someone poured Bradley Cooper’s whiskey on me.)

The second thing you need to know is that Lady Gaga is, bizarrely, covering “La Vie En Rose,” and I am not quite sure how the film is going to necessitate such a thing. The song titles in general serve as one giant spoiler mapping out the plot of the film—where Cooper and Gaga make their pitstops (“First Stop, Arizona,” “Memphis”), how they see the concept of love (“I Don’t Know What Love Is”), why they did that (“Why Did You Do That?”), when they go to Saturday Night Live (“SNL”), and where they presumably copulate (“Hair Body Face”).

This is puzzling without even getting into the fact that five songs are credited solely to Bradley Cooper. Again: How on earth is this going to be the greatest movie of our lifetimes?

Thursday, August 30: Lady Gaga’s Close-up (and Bradley Cooper’s Makeup Removal Techniques)

There is a lot wild stuff in the Los Angeles Times’ feature on Lady Gaga’s preparation for her role in the movie, a classic “I’m Trying As Hard As Possible to Win an Oscar” profile. Let’s rank the five best, most “how is this a real thing?!” details.

5. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper developed a special bond on set and used code words like “Tony” and “Ninja” to communicate with one another. (In case you’re wondering, “Tony” was meant to evoke a feeling of warmth, and “Ninja” meant that she needed to focus. True brilliance from this generation’s Stanley Kubrick.)

4. Lady Gaga makes a very clear distinction between her own musical upbringings and that of her onscreen character, Ally. “What’s different from Ally than me is that when I wanted to become a singer, I hit the concrete running,” says Gaga. “I was dragging my piano from dive bar to dive bar to play music. I was calling people, faking being my own manager to get gigs. I really believed in myself that I could do this and that I wasn’t going to stop until I made it. … The truth is, when we meet Ally, she’s given up on herself. And that’s very different from me. I just wasn’t overwhelmed by the odds.” Man, really throwing Ally under the tour bus here, aren’t we, Lady Gaga?

3. For the movie’s concert performances, Lady Gaga says she decided to “tone things down.” Um, about that …

2. Gaga reveals that as a child, she would watch the Oscars “wrapped in a gown made of blankets” and accept a fake Oscar next to her television, atop a crate. [ Whispers ] I think Lady Gaga wants an Oscar.

1. The profile begins with a quote from Cooper saying, “Take it off.” (I gasped.) Fortunately, it becomes clear that Cooper was referring to Gaga’s makeup; unfortunately, it becomes clear that he was referring to Gaga’s makeup, and that he himself wanted to remove it from her face. “Completely open,” he added. “No artifice.” The image of Bradley Cooper wiping Lady Gaga’s makeup off and then sumptuously (I’m assuming) saying, “No artifice” will be etched in my memory until the end of time.

This is the best movie of the year, folks.

Friday, August 31: A Star Is Born Screening Struck by Lightning (Seriously), Gets Emotional Reviews

The Venice Film Festival was the venue for the first public screening of A Star Is Born . Things got off to a fitting start:

Headline reading, “Lady Gaga’s ‘Star Is Born’ Premiere Struck by Lightning’

Technical difficulties delayed the screening for 15 minutes, Variety reports, during which Lady Gaga was “chuckling and blowing kisses to the audience.” And just to give you a better mental picture, she was doing all of this while wearing Villanelle’s poofy pink dress from Killing Eve .

Lady Gaga during unexpected break in Star is Born premiere. Screen went black more than 10 minutes ago.... pic.twitter.com/rllPry91vU — Nick Vivarelli (@NickVivarelli) August 31, 2018

Was the lightning strike a biblical warning that A Star Is Born is not meant for mortal eyes—that it is either too epically brilliant or too disastrous for the human mind to properly process? Is Lady Gaga a stronger cosmic force than God? Who’s to say?

As it turns out, the reviews that came out of that screening were equally rapturous. Variety hailed the movie as an “emotional knockout” and described Cooper’s character as having “hard-bitten shit-kicker sexiness”; The Guardian said A Star Is Born provides “dilithium crystals of pure melodrama”; and Entertainment Weekly praised Gaga for her “human-scale performance” (?) and “real-girl vulnerability.”

Well, those are positive! The reviews are a promising sign that A Star Is Born is not as bizarre as certain shots from the meme-able trailer implied. But I still don’t know. For some reason, it still feels like the world is playing a joke on all of us. I will withhold judgment until I’m personally sitting in a theater being moved to tears by Bradley Cooper’s whiskey-throat wailing.

Thursday, September 6: Bradley Cooper Touches Lady Gaga’s Nose

Exclusive: Bradley Cooper stirs @LadyGaga 's creative soul with a rousing speech in this @starisbornmovie sneak peek. Read more about the film, in theaters Oct. 5: https://t.co/Iy2uj3MfDI #AStarIsBorn pic.twitter.com/hs0DEgRlAR — Entertainment Weekly (@EW) September 6, 2018

A Star Is Born dropped two exclusive clips on Thursday—one of them, with Dave Chappelle and Bradley Cooper, is a pretty conventional, well-acted conversation between two pals . The other is the opposite of conventional. A scene featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, it is billed as Cooper giving a “rousing speech.” In actuality, it is a scene about how Cooper’s character—who is actually named Jackson Maine—is obsessed with Lady Gaga’s nose, which she believes has been holding her back in the music industry. “I’m gonna be thinking about your nose for a very long time,” says Maine. “Let me just touch it for a second.” And then he does. IN SLOW MOTION.

There is less than a month until A Star Is Born hits theaters. It will be the longest month of my life.

Friday, September 7: A Star Is Born Dazzles TIFF, Dares You to Call It Overrated

Another film festival debut, another chorus of euphoric reviews. After taking the Venice International Film Festival by storm (literally, given the lightning strike that hit the theater), it was more of the same at the Toronto International Film Festival, and in place of inclement weather were conflated metaphors from overstimulated critics.

A STAR IS BORN is an endearing, sweet puppy dog of a movie, but Lady Gaga charges through it like a nuclear bomb. #tiff — erickohn (@erickohn) September 7, 2018

… Is that a good or bad thing?

The actual reviews were no less exultant—for Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Mashable praised Gaga’s performance, writing, “For large swaths of the movie, I forgot that I was watching one of the most famous musicians in the world—she was just Ally.” (That’s quite impressive, considering she is Lady goddamn Gaga.) HuffPost , meanwhile, delivered a retroactive apology to Cooper for not appreciating the thespian’s work sooner: “I’ve rarely connected with him as an actor, and now I’m wondering how wrong I’ve been this whole time.”

It was JoBlo , however, that really brought the heat by suggesting that people will think A Star Is Born is overrated, and that those people will be wrong. “People will certainly write opt-ed’s [sic] asking if its overrated, but frankly it’s among the few movies I’ve seen recently that delivers an unmistakably emotional journey.” Hmmm. OK. So maybe it is overrated, and people are just getting a little overhyped at a film festival. Remember when TIFF lost its collective mind over Three Billboards last year?

Monday, October 1: Bradley Cooper Replaced with Early-Era Westworld Robot

With A Star Is Born getting its nationwide release this weekend, the film’s press tour has reemerged and kicked into full gear. It’s been 32 days since the movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and it feels like an entire year has passed since then, so it’s understandable that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga might be a bit exhausted by now. But Cooper’s behavior on two different British programs in the past four days makes me think something else is happening with him: He has been replaced with a robot, and not a particularly expressive one at that.

Here he is on Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show , alongside Gaga, Ryan Gosling, and Jodie Whittaker. (Sidenote: That’s one hell of a couch!) Gaga was recounting a truly incredible story of how she learned Cooper could sing—he went over to her house and they ate days-old pasta refried on a pan, with the singer emphasizing they’re both Italian Americans, which, don’t worry, we got—and showing a sincere appreciation for her costar’s talents as a performer. Meanwhile, this is was Cooper’s face the entire time:

Did someone tell him to freeze all motor functions? I’m at a loss here—like, Graham Norton is a pretty lit show as well (see: Mark Wahlberg ) and he’s barely even blinking.

But Robo-Cooper wasn’t finished yet. On Monday, in an interview with This Morning ’s Alison Hammond —a delightful journalist who once blessed us with a hilarious conversation between herself, Ryan Gosling, and Harrison Ford—she jokingly sang for Cooper. Meanwhile, this was his face the entire time:

Someone please recharge Bradley Cooper’s batteries, thank you.

Tuesday, October 2: Gaga Fans Create Venom Smear Campaign—Yes, Really

Venom and A Star Is Born are both technically movies, and sure, they’re coming out in the same weekend, but they have very different goals. Venom is a big-budget superhero cash grab that’s ( probably ) going to be a disaster; A Star Is Born is on a collision course with the Oscars and is probably going to make bank by virtue of its prestige (and the pop star at its center). In other words, nobody is looking at Venom and thinking, “Uh oh, A Star Is Born better watch out!”

Nevertheless, the Gaga hive—they call themselves Little Monsters—has been posting fake early reviews bashing Venom , and frankly, they’re unreal. Some of them talk about how dismayed they were watching Venom and how it’s one of the worst movies they’ve ever seen; the best ones, however, immediately bring up A Star Is Born as the perfect antidote for the Venom trauma caused to themselves and their many children.

I saw #Venom last night and had to leave halfway through, my children wouldn't stop crying at how bad it was. Luckily a second pre screening of #AStarIsBorn was about to start, and now we are all crying, tears of amazement. Please pray for my eldest he is still in a coma. — Anne Harrison (@AnneHarrisonMom) October 2, 2018

@AnneHarrisonMom rules. (Little Monsters typically pose as suburban moms, for some reason.)

This is extremely extra. Furthermore, it’s probably not even necessary— Venom is hurting itself simply by existing and looking objectively awful. Overall though, what a great, fitting way to wrap up the absurdity that has been A Star Is Born ’s rollout. Is it Friday yet?

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Review: A Star Is Born [2018]

“I love the way she sees them”

It began with Hollywood as William A. Wellman and Robert Carson won an Oscar for their story about a young actress dreaming of super stardom in 1937. From there it went the way of the movie musical thanks to Judy Garland taking the lead before earning six nominations in 1954. Next came Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson to shift things to the music world with its aging rock star and hopeful songstress adding a 1976 Best Song to the awards cabinet. Now—almost a full century after its first iteration—arrives a new A Star Is Born upgraded to folk rock stadium insanity and pop world theatrics courtesy of first-time writer/director Bradley Cooper and six-time Grammy Award winner Lady Gaga . And somehow it isn’t just a vanity project.

Let’s be honest. That’s exactly what we thought when it was announced that Cooper had taken over top to bottom creative duties. Here he was stepping in for Clint Eastwood after production was delayed because of original lead Beyoncé ‘s pregnancy, receiving this promotion after having been attached to star as its aging depressive alcoholic for three years. If this leap showed anything it was passion because he could have easily let the film fall apart. Instead he took the reins, saw Gaga come join a few months after her surprising Golden Globes acting win, and brought Willie Nelson ‘s son Lukas Nelson aboard to help write the music. One trailer later and its award aspirations were revealed to the world. It might win some of them too.

Co-writer Will Fetters (with Cooper and Eric Roth ) has been quoted as saying the role of Jackson Maine (Cooper) was inspired by Kurt Cobain and the types of demons he would have carried with him to middle age had he not committed suicide. I get the comparison, but a twenty years younger version of Jeff Bridges character in Crazy Heart (while his career was still booming despite an approaching decline) is probably more apt. Maine hasn’t lost his stadium show top-billing yet nor has he earned back anonymity in a twentieth century rife with camera phones constantly flashing in his face. His songs are on the jukebox and he’s recognized at the bar he stumbles into with nothing but alcohol on his mind. That’s where he sees her.

Ally (Gaga) is a small town girl who lives with her father ( Andrew Dice Clay ‘s Lorenzo) and sings whenever the drag queens at the dive she used to serve at let her go onstage to share her voice with the locals. It just so happens this was one of those nights, fate making sure her best friend Ramon ( Anthony Ramos ) was the man who greeted Jack at the door to offer a measured dose of excitement and the promise of a performance he wouldn’t regret sticking around to watch. From there it’s introductions, a lowering of defenses, and an honest conversation about talent, opportunity, and confidence. A whirlwind of emotion, empowerment, and the desire to fight regret with hope culminates in Ally onstage belting her lyrics to thousands.

It’s a fantastic opening act with radio-ready songs (“The Shallow” is a legit single), slomotion meet cute aesthetic, and ample exposition to enter the headspace of these two talents and the dark inspiration for their art. We believe it when Maine’s manager Bobby ( Sam Elliott ) tells Ally he hasn’t seen him play like this in years. We know Jack’s drinking will eventually put him in a coffin if having her in his life doesn’t change things soon. And it’s inevitable her impending fame will keep them separated long enough to ensure that salvation will forever remain a question looming above their successes. He’s not the only one with insecurities, though. Ally hopes to sing while new manager ( Rafi Gavron ‘s Rez) looks to transform her into a pop icon.

Enter act two: the one flaw of an otherwise impeccable whole. It’s here where focus gets muddled because what had been an even split of the spotlight turns one-sided quick. While you’d assume this shift would push Jack to the background in order to turn attention onto Ally, however, the opposite is true. That battle between “art” and “commercialization” being set up for her to combat? It turns out she embraces the metamorphosis. Without any real inner turmoil on her part, this entire portion of the film becomes almost laughably rushed with Ally earning a single, album, tour, and nominations almost overnight. It would have been better if Cooper just cut to black after that first concert and rejoined them years later to watch the fallout.

The only reason he doesn’t is because Jack doesn’t approve of her transformation. A mix of jealousy, loneliness, and existential dread drops him farther towards the bottom of the bottle and ultimately renders her character a pawn in his story rather than the star of her own. Suddenly everything she does is put through a lens of how it affects Jack. Here’s the vanity part for Cooper. His role is objectively more dramatic with a “deeper” arc towards tragedy and thus does deserve the time necessary to portray those really harrowing moments of him being haunted by too much to let Ally and Bobby make a dent. It’s merely unfortunate because Gaga had already earned our attention. To therefore watch her become a prop is disappointing.

Things even out a bit by the end to reinstate their equal footing, but Jack’s struggles have definitely overshadowed Ally’s success as far as intrigue goes. The one thing that’s never diminished, though, is their love. It shines through Cooper and Gaga’s performances (both shoo-ins for nominations if not victories) and the music with relevant lyrics proving crucial to their characters’ mindsets and our emotional reaction to what occurs. And everything looks great too from the concert scenes (Live Nation is a producer with their logo prominently shown at the start) to the little moments where Jack and Ally are simply gazing into each other’s eyes. Throw in some dynamite supporting players (Clay and Elliott are both worthy of praise) and you have a winner through and through.

It’s therefore easy to look past the middle third’s shakiness because where it’s leading is enough. Gaga’s character’s increasing confidence runs parallel with her own so thankfully she does get to shine later through her continuous refusal to let Jack’s disease be an excuse—something a throwaway line has us believing is a result of her childhood with Dad. Ally ensures she will not be the victim early on and this is a refreshing detail to counterbalance how she’s used to impact Jack’s trajectory by never losing her own agency even if the film briefly forgets it. That strength makes her a formidable ally (I hope that wasn’t intentional) rather than foe since Cooper’s portrayal of psychological defeat is authentically devastating. They’re stronger together, but sometimes love isn’t enough.

Score: 8/10

Rating: R | Runtime: 135 minutes | Release Date: October 5th, 2017 (USA) Studio: Warner Bros. Director(s): Bradley Cooper Writer(s): Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters / William A. Wellman and Robert Carson (story)

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A Star Is Born (2018)

A romance filled musical spectacle that will make you feel like you just witnessed something special..

MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

In this latest remake of the famed movie A Star Is Born , we get to see the incredible talents of first time director Bradley Cooper ( Avengers: Infinity War , Guardians of the Galaxy ) who also stars in the film opposite Lady Gaga (American Horror Story, Machete Kills). Coming from two very different worlds, Cooper plays Jackson Mains, a rock star battling alcohol and drug addiction, while Gaga portrays Ally, a young singer/songwriter working a thankless job, just on the cusp of giving up on her dreams of having a music career.

While predictable and fortuitous that these two should meet in a bar, it’s what happens after their so-called “chance” meeting that few film goers could ever have predicted. Bradley Cooper is a sensational story teller, and phenomenal actor; and while Lady Gaga is no stranger to chart-topping hits, it’s her honest acting and infectious chemistry with Cooper that will keep audiences glued to the screen for the two hour long movie.

At its heart, A Star Is Born is a love story built on trust, respect, understanding and a shared love for the kind of music that tells a story and shares a special message with the world that only the twelve repeating notes in a musical key can do. The two co-stars share a few duets, but their first one entitled “Shallow” is what audiences will likely connect with most as it is the moment that catapults their relationship and the birth of Ally as a future star. Aside from the great musical numbers peppered throughout the film, the co-stars share many beautiful moments that will leave audiences wanting more, including admiring each other’s noses, when Ally first sings to Jack in an empty parking lot, when she brings him a puppy, when she gives him a place he can call home, and so much more.

Many know Lady Gaga for her wigs, makeup and outrageous outfits, but for the role of Ally she stripped it all the way down to the bare minimum, revealing a vulnerable side of herself few have ever seen, turning back to a time in her life before she was a household name in order to genuinely portray the role. In a way, even though she was acting, it felt as though I was seeing and meeting the woman behind “Lady Gaga” for the very first time. Contrary to what some might say, she’s quite a beautiful and talented woman. Completely at ease in front of the camera, she plays the role of Ally with a complex innocence that invites us into her world and makes us feel like we are right there with her as she goes on this incredible journey to stardom.

Bradley Cooper gives a stellar performance, from his incredible connection with Lady Gaga, to his genuine embrace of his role as a rock star battling personal and professional demons. A far cry from the Bradley Cooper we see on red carpets, for this film he dons a sunburn and long curls, and digs deep into the layers of his character, showing us someone who has nothing and no one to turn to but alcohol and drugs. That is until Ally comes into his life and gives him something else to look forward to, someone else to not only sing for, but with.

It’s a Hollywood romance brought to the big screen, with all the behind the scenes drama, chemistry, music, and even tragedy. Cooper directs the love story with a very raw and emotional eye, giving audiences the impression that they are transported right out of their seats and into the screen to experience the story alongside the characters. While the film is a bit on the long side, it tells a solid story with the exception of one scene when they have a performer sing a song from the movie “Pretty Woman.” Perhaps it was a nod to the similarities in the story and/or genre, but other than that, there appears no reason for that particular choice.

By the end of the film, you’ll be laughing, crying and walking out of the theater feeling like you just witnessed something special. With these amazing performances on and off the screen, A Star Is Born could be quite the contender for next year’s awards season. It’s also a tremendous showing for both first-time director (Cooper) and first-time leading lady (Gaga) that few would have thought possible. Above all else, this is a must-see film that should easily unite fans from all stripes – film lovers, music lovers, Gaga lovers and – of course – Cooper lovers around the world.

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A STAR IS BORN (2018)

"tragic story of love and music".

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: Two people take marriage very lightly.

More Detail:

A STAR IS BORN (2018) follows the talented and tragic relationship of famous singer/songwriter Jackson Maine (Cooper) and aspiring singer Ally (Lady Gaga). Artfully directed by Cooper with great music and stunning performances by the pair, the movie is moving, technically excellent, and deserving of its early Oscar buzz from the festival circuit. However, the story is a tragic tale of addiction, fame and hopelessness, leaving viewers with a depressing movie full of excessive foul language, substance abuse, and sexual content.

Jackson Maine is a big star who lights up stadium crowds with impressive music but finds himself at the bottom of a bottle every night. Ally is an aspiring singer who juggles her restaurant job with random gigs at drag bars. One night, an already drunk Jackson stumbles into her bar for one more drink and witnesses her performance. He invites her to his next concert, where he surprises her by bringing her on stage to sing, and the two begin their tour together. They fall deeply in love as Jackson helps her find fame, and she inspires him to get control over his alcoholism and drug problem. It seems like they’re both the answer to each other’s problems and the key to their happiness. However, as Ally becomes more and more successful, Jackson finds it harder and harder to come to terms with his age and addictions.

There is so much to love about A STAR IS BORN (2018). Both Cooper, and especially Lady Gaga, deserve all the recognition for their performances in the movie. As a director, Cooper seemed to pick up a few things from former collaborator David O’Russell, giving all the characters their unique voice and authentic feel. Every scene draws the audience in with the nuances of the relationships between the characters. Lady Gaga especially shines in her first dramatic leading role, playing shy Ally offstage while bringing stunning performances during the musical scenes. Everything comes together – the stars, the directing and the music – for a well-made drama that pulls at the viewer’s emotions from start to finish.

It is unfortunate, then, that such a talented team ultimately tells such a depressing, hopeless story. The movie hinges on the idea that Jackson and Ally can save each other, while they desperately try to serve their own desires and careers. Neither of them can ultimately fulfill the pressure they put on each other, and their relationship crumbles as a result. By the midpoint of the story, when things start to go downhill, this romantic worldview feels shallow. By the movie’s tragic end, the characters are left with no hope, leaving the audience feeling the same.

From the very beginning, as Jackson takes a bunch of pills before he goes onstage, the movie makes it clear this isn’t a beautiful love story. The movie’s explicit content, including excessive foul language, constant substance abuse and a scene with excessive nudity, is a constant reminder of that reality. This questionable content, mixed with a hopeless worldview, weighs down the movie’s talented execution. At best the movie serves as a cautionary tale against a life dedicated to acquiring fame, but it doesn’t leave viewers with a positive alternative to believe or support. This story has been made three times before (once with Judy Garland and James Mason), but this is the least acceptable version.

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A Star Is Born (2018)

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REVIEW: A Star is Born (2018)

Some movies get remade because studios believe that nostalgia can squeeze more money out of a property, other movies get remade because a director sees a way to add something new to an already established story; A Star is Born is definitely in that latter category. We’ve seen this movie done several times, but with Bradley Cooper’s inspired approach to the writing and directing of the film, A Star Is Born is an experience that you don’t want to miss.

A Star is Born follows the story of country singer Jackson Maine. After performing one of his shows, he stumbles into a bar for a drink and finds a singer named Ally; she has a beautiful voice, but isn’t willing to perform any songs that she’s written. After spending a night talking with Ally, Jackson decides to invite her to one of his shows. When she gets there, he asks her to come on stage and perform one of her songs. She resists at first, but eventually seizes the opportunity, and changes her entire life in the process.

I absolutely love this movie because it’s a story I’m familiar with, but I was still shocked with how everything was presented. There are obvious beats that I think people who haven’t seen any version of this movie could pick up on quickly. Jackson and Ally do fall in love with each other, and the conflict in the film does stem partly from Ally’s eventual success. These things are predictable, yet still compelling to watch.

The most striking part of the progression in A Star is Born was how it wasn’t afraid to critique the music industry. They address how artists can lose their voice when trying to become a star. The music becomes diluted, and they become just another artist trying to find the next big hit. Sometimes it happens, and that person isn’t even aware. This worked so well because Lady Gaga plays Ally, and her problems with the music industry are well documented. They go as far as addressing how a label likely won’t even look at you if you aren’t what they deem to be sexy. Lady Gaga is in no way an ugly woman, but she has a unique aesthetic that I can easily see being thrown to the side despite her talent. It’s frustrating to watch this all go down. Jackson is a witness to this struggle, but Ally’s ability to speak what’s on her mind through her music is what initially attracted him to her.

The relationship between Jackson and Ally is compelling to watch. Ally isn’t really an aspiring singer, she works a dead end job and has completely given up on the idea of living out that dream. Jackson has been in the industry, and he gravitates toward people who can really express themselves through music. When he meets Ally, she tells him that she got turned down because of the way she looks, but he can’t stop looking at her. His belief in her talent gives her confidence to eventually take the stage and sing her heart out. At the same time, Jackson has his own demons he has to deal with, and with Ally around, he tries to work them out. They both lift each other up to become better versions of themselves.

My only problem is that the editing is not always great. There are times in A Star is Born where situations feel rushed. Specific scenarios wrap up in a single scene when it would’ve gone over better if they took a little more time. There are also some aggressive cuts in the film that just didn’t make any sense. One time in particular there were three shots shown in succession that didn’t coherently tie together. It was jarring to see that in a movie that paid such close attention to detail in every other aspect of the film.

This attention to detail becomes apparent in the acting performances. There aren’t many characters in A Star is Born , but everyone gives a fantastic performance. Bradley Cooper really embodies Jackson Maine. He’s so into his art while trying to fight off the trauma of his past. Behind every smile is a clearly communicated pain that comes to define his character. I’ve never seen Lady Gaga act before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but she is fantastic. Cooper wrote the role specifically for her, which really worked in her favor. She looked as if she’s been doing this her whole life. The supporting cast is also great. Sam Elliot plays Jackson’s brother, and he delivers a few heart-wrenching scenes. There’s one where he doesn’t even say anything, but the audience immediately knows everything he’s feeling in that moment. There’s even an appearance from Dave Chappelle, who plays one of Jackson’s friends. He doesn’t stay for long, but I loved seeing Dave in more of a dramatic role. He wasn’t the best actor on screen, but he held his own and was a great addition to the cast.

This brings me to the outstanding music in A Star is Born ; the songs sound so beautiful, and they help push the narrative forward. Each song works as a sort of checkpoint in the story and communicates where our characters are in their lives. These songs come to life because both Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga can sing well. I was surprised at how good Cooper’s singing voice was. There’s a certain level of grit to it that made it stand out. With that being said, Lady Gaga completely dominates the musical aspect of this film. Her voice is so powerful, and she sings with so much conviction, that it’s at times overwhelming. I was floored each and every time she got on stage to sing. By the time we got to the final song of the movie, I knew she was going to deliver a show-stopping performance, and that’s precisely what happened. “I’ll Never Love Again” is a movie defining song that caps off a beautifully sad love story.

A Star is Born is a moving experience. The actors have such great chemistry that all of the relationships feel real. The story does touch on the struggles an artist faces when they get signed to a record label, while at the same time talking about things like substance abuse, depression, and trauma. It’s much more than a love story with a few great songs in it. This is a story about people and how they express themselves. Bradley Cooper proved he can do it all in this film, and with help from Lady Gaga, pulled off one of 2018’s best movies.

A Star is Born

Acting - 9.5, direction/editing - 9, music/sound - 10, romance - 10, outstanding.

A Star is Born is a beautifully written love story about two people who seamlessly communicate through music. The amazing cast and stellar soundtrack help bring this story to life in a way that will likely move its audience to tears.

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'a star is born' review: bradley cooper and lady gaga are caught in a bad romance.

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'A Star Is Born'

The Box Office:

Opening on October 5, 2018, A Star Is Born is expected by everyone in the know to live up to its title. Specifically in its “announcement” of Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) as a possible movie star as well as a world-famous musician. To be fair, the musician plays a musician in this fourth version of what is starting to become a tale as old as time, but good acting is good acting. And Lady Gaga will inspire folks who don't normally cover film or the Oscars to write about the film, which will only add to the film's buzz.

The Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc. (Warner Media) release is reportedly budgeted at around $36 million, which means either director Bradley Cooper knew how to stretch a dollar or he used the patented Clint Eastwood “one take and out” style of filmmaking (and that's a compliment). This is Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, and he also co-stars. With rave reviews, an Academy-friendly “showbiz is neat except when it’s not” plot and the potential to be a huge audience hit, I wouldn’t bet against this one over the month of October. With the same release date as Gravity , Gone Girl and The Martian , this one is aiming to be the movie of choice.

The closest comparison is Oct. 3, 2014, when WB’s Annabelle squared off against Fox’s Gone Girl . Annabelle was expected to win the weekend and earned a $37.1 million debut. But Gone Girl overperformed thanks to white-hot buzz and rave reviews and topped with $37.5m. Annabelle flamed out pretty quickly and ended up with $84m domestic (and $256m worldwide on a $7m budget) but Gone Girl stuck around and earned $166m domestic and $366m worldwide on a $60m budget. Even if Venom gets that over/under $65m weekend while A Star Is Born “only” opens with $25m, we can expect longer legs for the musical romance than for the fan-driven comic book superhero flick.

Now, between you and me, I wouldn’t be shocked if Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s A Star Is Born opens a bit higher than projected in two weeks. We should note that Gravity was pegged at $40 million but opened with $55m, while even Gone Girl was pegged at around $23m but opened 63% higher than that. So don’t be too shocked if A Star Is Born (the sexiest chapter in the Conjuring Universe) opens closer to The Conjuring than Lights Out . Now Venom and A Star Is Born aren’t necessarily competing in the same demo, so there is room for both of them to end up far from the shallow (now).

The Review:

By default, this fourth variation on A Star Is Born is the best version since the 1937 original. And it is different enough from all three previous variations to stand on its own two feet both as a worthy remake and as entertainment for viewers with no prior knowledge or interest in the story. Like Beauty and the Beast and Point Break , it is a tale as old as time. It is a classic "one goes up, another goes down" romantic drama that works as a mood piece and an acting treat. It’s not so hung up on plot and story, but you have three prior versions of this flick for that.

The first hour of this Bradley Cooper-directed drama is damn-near perfect, and there is a reason that Warner Bros.’ marketing has based its entire marketing campaign around it. It turns the story of an alcoholic country rock musician (Cooper) who meets and romances a younger wannabee artist (Lady Gaga) who has the talent but not the luck, into a newfangled Cinderella story. The entire first act is an extended look at a few days of their initial courtship, a romance that climaxes when the rock star brings the novice onto his stage and watches as she knocks everyone’s socks off. The trailer climaxes with that moment, and truth be told the movie does too.

The 135-minute picture takes its time to set up the courtship, one based on mutual respect and artistic admiration as much as carnal lust. Those opening reels are lovely, both in their imagery and naturalistic dialogue. It’s a little odd that someone who looks like Stefani Germanotta would be presented as a proverbial ugly duckling, but that’s Hollywood (I’m still in mourning for Jennifer Grey’s old nose). Gaga and Cooper have superb chemistry in those opening reels, as he sees her performing in a drag bar (they let her sing there because she used to work at the establishment) and falls in love at first sight. She’s not blind to what’s happening, but she likes him too.

I imagine the film’s first hour will generate the most buzz, especially the show-stopping concert sequence even though we know it’s coming and that the leading lady can sing. Despite that, our hearts soar anyway. But after that initial high, the rest of the journey is more focused on the real-world implications of loving a music man (which ain't always what it's supposed to be) while being a music woman. As the title implies, Ally becomes an overnight celebrity and eventually becomes a successful solo pop act. To the film’s credit, the movie is careful not to belittle Ally’s pop career or overly lionize Jackson Maine’s country music.

There are artistic compromises, but Jackson is generally supportive (at least on the outside) and their problems are less rooted in jealousy or opposing career trajectories than Jackson's alcoholism. On one hand, it’s nice that the movie doesn’t argue that Cooper’s already troubled rock star is further damaged by his lover’s ascendance. But, by default perhaps, it also makes the core story (she rises as he falls) almost beside the point. I’d argue screenwriters Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper are at least somewhat aware of this, as we don’t see much of either of them in their “making music, building a career” stage. The film is more interested in them together than apart.

The second half of the film becomes even more of an intimate affair than its initial hour. It feels rushed as if two acts are smashed into a single hour, and the picture speeds up from its prosaic beginnings to an episodic snapshot montage of a life lived together. The film is terrible about how much time has passed from its beginnings to its end, and it becomes a kind of Cliff Notes version of the prior films (specifically the 1937 version and the 1976 music-driven remake). Everything about the film is exceptionally insular, as there is almost no outside content or anything that isn’t from the point-of-view of either one star or another.

I’ve never been a fan of the “rich and famous person squanders their talent” downfall story. That’s not to denigrate its artistic value, but it’s always incredibly frustrating and not my cup of tea. That’s my problem, not yours, but I can’t be the only person who watches the film and gets Whitney Houston/Bobby Brown flashbacks, even if Ally becomes more of a caretaker than a co-conspirator. Fortunately, there is a scene where a sympathetic supporting character (Sam Elliott, playing Jackson's older brother) explicitly states that Ally is not to blame or responsible for either the poor choices that Jackson has made or the consequences of those choices. It’s compelling drama, but this isn’t remotely a healthy romance.

Now a romance need not be ideal to be moving and engaging, and there is a lovely third-act sequence where Ally wonders out loud whether the perpetually intoxicated Jackson will still love her when he’s sober. It is better to view this as less an idealized romantic entanglement and more of a tragedy of good people trying hard to love each other, two strangers learning to fall in love again. If the first half is significantly more compelling than the second, it’s still a damn good movie and very much a singular piece of art exactly as intended by its filmmakers. Point being, as we enter the Oscar season, I’m not going to penalize rumored frontrunners for merely being good instead of great.

And A Star Is Born is a darn good movie. It features wonderful acting and superb musical sequences, with a soundtrack that will sell like hotcakes. It is aggressively adult entertainment, namely in that it is rated R despite not really needing to be (WB could have easily cut this to a PG-13 and it’s to their credit that they did not) and aimed at adult moviegoers. It is more concerned with emotions and snapshots of a life versus point-by-point plotting. It works first as a Cinderella fairy tale and then as an empathetic “What comes after happily ever after?” tragedy. It may be about a bad romance, but it still sits on the edge of glory.

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"the wrong idea": why barbra streisand didn't like gaga & cooper's a star is born.

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Seriously, What Does Bradley Cooper Have To Do To Win An Oscar?

Gerard butler & paul walker’s forgotten sci-fi movie was richard donner’s second time travel film, i’m pretty sure hugh laurie broke character in this house scene and no one noticed it.

Although 2018's A Star Is Born was widely praised by viewers and critics, there is one specific reason why Barbra Streisand did not like the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga film. Serving as the fourth adaptation of the original story, A Star Is Born marked Bradley Cooper's directorial debut. Even though the actor was stepping into the world of direction with the film, A Star Is Born was immensely successful both critically and commercially. At the global box office, it went on to earn close to $436.2 million against a budget of $36 million.

At the 91st Academy Awards, the Bradley Cooper movie even landed eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Actress (Lady Gaga) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Elliott), and later won Best Original Song for "Shallow." Its soundtrack even received four Grammy Award wins. However, despite dominating during the award season, the film did not get Barbra Streisand's stamp of approval, who starred as the female lead in the 1976 adaptation of the original A Star Is Born Story .

Bradley Cooper as a young Leonard Bernstein and as an older Bernstein in Maestro.

Bradley Cooper didn't win the Oscar for Best Actor at the 96th Academy Awards, marking yet another loss for the talented and experienced performer.

Barbra Streisand Didn't Think Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born Was Original Enough

She was more pleased by the film's initial casting choices.

Barbra Streisand revealed (via The Project ) that she initially found the idea of a new A Star Is Born film intriguing when she heard Will Smith and Beyoncé were starring as its leads . She liked the initial casting idea because it promised the film would offer something different with new music and integrated actors.

However, she was surprised when she watched the movie after noticing how similar it was to the one she starred in. Although the actress stated that the film's success allowed it to etch its identity, she closed her statement with a jab by saying she cares less about success and more about originality.

Why Barbra Streisand Is Wrong About A Star Is Born (2018)

Bradley Cooper singing as Jackson Maine In A Star Is Born

Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born seems familiar because of how many times the original story has been previously adapted. Owing to this, Barbra Streisand is not entirely wrong about the film. However, she only seems to judge it based on its casting choices and story developments. What she seemingly overlooks is that the film effectively displays Bradley Cooper's unique voice and vision as a director . The authenticity and emotional impact with which he portrays musical numbers in A Star is Born and 2023's Maestro completely immerses the viewer into the stories the characters inhabit.


A Star Is Born (1937)	100%
A Star Is Born (1954)	98%
A Star Is Born (1976)	37%
A Star Is Born (2018)	90%

While Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson had their own charm in the 1976 movie, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's chemistry as Jack and Ally brings a fresh energy to the original story. When it comes to the overarching tone and genre, the movie's songs may not sound too different from the ones in the 1976 film. However, Lady Gaga 's electrifying voice and Bradley Cooper 's ability to play with her strengths as an actress and singer in A Star Is Born are enough for the movie to stand out and resonate more with contemporary audiences than the previous films.

A Star is Born

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The third remake of the original 1937 film, A Star Is Born stars Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine, an alcoholic Country musician who discovers and falls in love with a young and aspiring singer named Ally, played by Lady Gaga. As Jack helps Ally become famous, their relationship deepens, but his private demons have devastating consequences on both their lives. The film was also Cooper's directorial debut.

A Star Is Born Remake Gets a New 2018 Release Date

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Warner Bros. is shifting its release date for A Star Is Born one more time, setting an October 5, 2018 date. Warner Bros originally announced a September 28, 2018 release date when A Star Is Born production started back in April, but then in September, the studio shifted the movie to the summer slot of May 18, 2018. Now it seems the studio is pushing the movie as a fall release, handing out its new, and presumably final, release date of October 5, 2018. A new report reveals the studio recently saw the movie and sparked to it, deciding to give it a more awards-season friendly release, although the movie will be facing some stiff competition at the box office.

As of now, this new remake of A Star Is Born , which marks Bradley Cooper's directing debut , while the actor also stars alongside Lady Gaga, will go up against Sony's Spider-Man spin-off Venom , which is currently in production, and 20th Century Fox's Bad Times at the El Royale for director Drew Goddard. If it would have stayed in the May 18, 2018 slot, it would only have one new movie to compete against, Sony's horror-thriller Slender Man , but it would also fall directly between what will likely be two of 2018's biggest movies, Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War (May 4, 2018) and Disney's Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25, 2018). If it would have stayed put on September 28, 2018, it would have faced Universal's Night School , Warner Bros.' Smallfoot and 20th Century Fox's The Kid Who Would Be King .

Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Lady Gaga). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally's career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory. In addition to playing Ally, Lady Gaga has composed and will perform original songs in the film. The main cast also includes Dave Chappelle as Jackson's best friend , Noodles, plus Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott, although no details were given regarding their characters.

This remake has been in development for quite some time, with Clint Eastwood once eyeing to direct, with Beyonce eyed to star. There were several in contention for the male lead role, now played by Bradley Cooper, with Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale once eyed for the coveted role, before the project ultimately fell apart. The production was ultimately delayed due to Beyonce's pregnancy , but then in October 2012, Beyonce left A Star Is Born for good. There had been no movement on the project for three years until it was revealed that the project would mark Bradley Cooper's directorial debut.

A Star is Born is being produced by Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Lynette Howell Taylor; with Basil Iwanyk and Ravi Mehta serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Will Fetters & Bradley Cooper and Eric Roth, based on a story by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson. The original incarnation of A Star Is Born hit theaters in 1937, starring Janet Gaynor and Frderic March, with Judy Garland and Jack Carson starring in the 1954 version and Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson starring in the 1976 movie. Deadline broke the news on this release date change earlier today.

a star is born (2018)

Review: No. 1 movie on Netflix is new raunchy teen comedy ‘Incoming’ about freshman looking to party

Jason Fraley | [email protected]

August 30, 2024, 4:13 PM

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August means back to school, so are you looking for a wild teen party flick for Labor Day weekend?

You might try the raunchy teen comedy “Incoming,” which is currently the No. 1 movie on Netflix.

It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in “Mean Girls” (2004) or “Superbad” (2007), but it’s not a total waste of time, either, with some refreshing Gen Z social updates between the potty humor.

Set near Los Angeles, the story follows four freshmen who navigate the nightmares of adolescence at their first-ever high school party. Benj Nielsen (Mason Thames) has a crush on his sophomore sister’s friend Bailey (Isabella Ferreira). When his jerk buddy Koosh (Bardia Seiri) announces that his older brother is throwing a kegger, Benj hopes for an invite along with his nerdy buddies Eddie (Ramon Reed) and Connor (Raphael Alejandro).

You could say the premise reflects the spirit of its creators who are “incoming freshmen” making their feature film debut, but writer/director brothers John and Dave Chernin have been around awhile, held back a few grades for pulling pranks in this analogy. The siblings wrote 10 episodes of FX’s hilarious sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2005-2012) before serving as show runners on their own Fox series “The Mick” (2017-2018).

They reunite with many of their same cast members for “Incoming,” namely Kaitlin Olson (Sweet Dee from “It’s Always Sunny” and Mickey in “The Mick”) as Benj’s mom, instructing him before the party and grounding him afterward. You’ll also see Scott MacArthur (Jimmy in “The Mick”) as Eddie’s wannabe stepdad driving a sports car and making backhanded compliments to Eddie, who tells him to “put some respect on my name.”

Still, the standout adult role belongs to Bobby Cannavale as Mr. Studebaker, the “cool” chemistry teacher creating chemical reactions in class who turns out to be stuck in his high school glory days. He’s just asking to get fired when he attends the teen party, staying for one drink, then another, then another. Before long, he’s making an ass out of himself and belligerently falling into the pool like Will Ferrell’s Frank the Tank in “Old School” (2003).

Beyond the adult antics, the film really belongs to its teen cast, led by lead actor Mason Thames, who recently starred in Scott Derrickson’s underrated horror flick “The Black Phone” (2021) in which he played a young boy abducted by Ethan Hawke only to receive supernatural phone calls from past victims trying to help him escape. I highly recommend it for Halloween, especially since Thames will soon return for “The Black Phone 2” (2025).

In “Incoming,” he carries the movie as the good-hearted Benj, who is easy to root for because he is a kind soul. He’s at once nervous to talk to his crush, but also quick on his feet to make clever comebacks whenever he puts his foot in his mouth. Of course, no one is perfect, so like any good movie character, he will have to work through his flaws to see if he can redeem himself like Heath Ledger singing on the bleachers in “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999).

His polite demeanor is the opposite of his older sister Alyssa (Ali Gallo), who gets a nose job in high school because her character arc is realizing that she’s uglier on the inside than she could ever be on the outside — making rude comments and bullying classmates in the hallway. Luckily for Benj, Alyssa’s friend Bailey doesn’t share this “mean girl” behavior. She’s actually open to talking with him in the kitchen — and maybe more if Benj plays his cards right.

As for Ben’s trio of awkward friends, Koosh is the most “cringey,” inventing an elaborate scheme to score with a girl, any girl, scouting the field on home security cameras and tricking them to enter his parents’ basement spa where he just happens to “lock” the door in time for a massage and dip in the hot tub. Don’t worry, ladies, he gets his comeuppance, teaching young viewers that it never pays to be a predatory ick boy, so don’t start in high school.

Far more sympathetic are the dorky duo of Eddie (Ramon Reed), who would rather play video games, and Connor (Raphael Alejandro), whose voice cracks in puberty. Their subplot of escorting the school’s popular girl Katrina (Loren Gray) on a drunken trip to Taco Bell basically becomes the plot of the Sundance hit “Emergency” (2022), where two dudes escorted a passed-out party girl whose worried sister was played by t hat Sabrina Carpenter.

In the grand scheme, there have been so many teen movies over the past 50 years that it’s hard to top “American Graffiti” (1973), “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982), “The Breakfast Club” (1985), “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986), “Dazed and Confused” (1993), “Clueless” (1995), “American Pie” (1999), “Mean Girls” (2004), “Superbad” (2007), “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012), “The Spectacular Now” (2013) and “Boyhood” (2014).

Over the past decade, my coming-of-age Mount Rushmore features Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” (2017), Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” (2018) and two by Kelly Fremon Craig: “Edge of Seventeen” (2016) and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (2023). Some might include Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” (2019), but it doesn’t crack my list.

In the end, “Incoming” will probably be “outgoing,” barely remembered in our collective consciousness due to familiar gags, drug detours, potty humor and annoying but realistic teenage profanity. Still, it’s refreshing to see three of the four male characters displaying “green flag” energy in 2024, moving away from the frat-boy humor of Hollywood’s troubled past to raise a generation that’s more respectful to women in between the jokes.

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Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone: Pals, and now co-stars on Broadway

By Seth Doane

September 1, 2024 / 10:13 AM EDT / CBS News

Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone have been friends for 30 years. "We are different," said LuPone. "I'm sort of, I guess you'd say I'm pepper, she's sugar. Or agave or honey, and I'm paprika. Do you know what I mean?"

"I wouldn't have thought of the food element, probably, or the spice element," Farrow laughed. "But that's not wrong! I don't know. I see, below the pepper or honey or agave, if you will, is a human soul that is immense, and that I am drawn to. I really value Patti as a friend."

As close as these two showbiz veterans are, they have never worked together, until now, in "The Roommate," the two-person play opening on Broadway this month.

At 75, Patti LuPone made her Broadway debut more than 50 years ago. She's won three Tony Awards, for roles in "Evita," "Company" and "Gypsy."

Mia Farrow, who is 79, got her start even earlier, in the TV show "Peyton Place" in the mid-1960s. She's the first American woman to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, and she achieved cinematic immortality in the horror classic, "Rosemary's Baby." "To this day, [it's] the best part I've ever been offered," Farrow said.

Getting these two legends together took a little convincing, and coordinating, with the director asking each of them if they would do it.

"We did call each other a lot," LuPone said. "Because I thought it would be so exciting to work with Mia, whom I adore. Just to listen to Mia talk about anything is such an event that I would rather do that than rehearse. I would rather do that than eat lunch. We all feel that way. It's an amazing experience just to listen to her."

Farrow said she decided on doing the play first, but it was dependent upon LuPone doing it as well. "But they went to Mia first," said LuPone. "And I'm actually a second choice. I don't even know what I'm talking about, 'I'm a second.' I could be a third choice! I don't know."

"I'm really glad it's Patti," said Farrow.

And who was ahead of Patti? "Annette Bening," said LuPone.

What is that like as an actor? "Well, I'll tell you! It's not comfortable," said LuPone. "You accept the part because you need to!"

"The Roommate" is a comedy about a New Yorker (portrayed by LuPone) who moves into the Iowa home of Farrow's character. Secrets and surprises abound. It's one set, one act, and 90 minutes of lines to remember, between the two of them.

Playwright Jen Silverman (who calls her show's stars "icons and legends," as well as "consummate artists") says "The Roommate" gives audiences the chance to see the richness and depth of "women of a certain age," who Silverman says are often rendered invisible.

LuPone said, "It is harder for roles for women our age. And it's a pity because we come with a certain amount of wisdom [and] experience that is still sexy. Still very sexy."

"Why do you see it as sexy?" asked Doane.

"Because it is!" LuPone laughed. "Because we come with a power."

In the past LuPone has used her stature to admonish audience members who peek at their phones during a performance. "I think we all abhor it; I'm just vocal about it," she said. "It's distracting to the actor, but it's worse for the audience, you see, because we're trying to create a story, weave a spell."

Mia Farrow's own life story has always fascinated the public. At 21 she married Frank Sinatra. "Like Patti, he was Sicilian," she said. "But unlike Patti, he had a temper. But the essential person was so compassionate, and shy, and readily available, more than anyone I've ever known. It ended up being a friendship that lasted until he died."

Of course, she's also known for her relationship with Woody Allen. They made 13 films together. Mia and their adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, accused Allen of molesting Dylan when she was seven. Allen vehemently denies the charge.

Doane asked, "Are you able to separate the experience as an actor in those films from the personal trials and tribulations that would follow?"

"Oh yeah, yeah," Farrow replied. "And I completely understand if an actor decides to work with him. I'm not one who'd say, 'Oh, they shouldn't.'"

Farrow tells us she's at peace today, and pretty content out of the spotlight.

"Not many people have had Mia's life," said LuPone.

"I'm old, you know?" Farrow laughed.

"Well, there are a lot of older people who haven't had quite the same set of experiences," said Doane. "How does that factor into a decision to do something like this?"

"It was perhaps a feeling of maybe, 'Is this it? Or might there be one last adventure?'" she replied. "Meaning never do anything else for the reminder of my days?"

"Had you thought that?"

"Yeah. I'm very good at doing nothing," Farrow laughed. "It's a gift. I'm endlessly entertaining to myself. I have good friends. I have no complaints."

LuPone said, "I don't have Mia's mindset; I wish I did. I'm not good not working. I don't know what to do in spare time. I get extremely depressed because I feel useless."

Asked to define the measure of success, LuPone said, "I think it's longevity, I really do. I think if you're still working, If you're still vital, if they still want you to work at this time, that's success."

"I agree," said Farrow. "The fact that we're even working now, that, to me, is success!"

For more info:

"The Roommate," at the Booth Theatre, New York City | Ticket info
Patti LuPone (Official site)
Follow Mia Farrow on Instagram and Twitter/X

Story produced by Gabriel Falcon. Editor: Steven Tyler.

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My Hero Academia: You're Next

Izuku Midoriya, a U.A. High School student who aspires to be the best hero he can be, confronts the villain who imitates the hero he once admired. Izuku Midoriya, a U.A. High School student who aspires to be the best hero he can be, confronts the villain who imitates the hero he once admired. Izuku Midoriya, a U.A. High School student who aspires to be the best hero he can be, confronts the villain who imitates the hero he once admired.

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Alain Delon, Smoldering French Film Star, Dies at 88

The César-winning actor was an international favorite in the 1960s and ’70s, often sought after by the era’s great auteurs.

Alain Delon in California in 1964 during the filming of the movie “Once a Thief.” Credit... Wayne Miller/Magnum Photos

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By Anita Gates

Published Aug. 18, 2024 Updated Aug. 26, 2024

Alain Delon, the intense and intensely handsome French actor who, working with some of Europe’s most revered 20th-century directors, played cold Corsican gangsters as convincingly as hot Italian lovers, died on Sunday. He was 88.

He died at his home in Douchy-Montcorbon, France, according to a statement his family gave to the French news service Agence France-Presse.

Hours later, President Emmanuel Macron honored him in a post on social media, saying, “Wistful, popular, secretive, he was more than a star: a French monument.”

During his heyday, the 1960s and ’70s, Mr. Delon was a first-tier international star, highly paid and often sought after by the era’s great auteurs.

When he burst on the scene in the gangster genre, as a sad-eyed, saintly young sibling in “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960), Luchino Visconti was in the director’s chair. Two years later, when Mr. Delon played a sexy stock trader, it was in Michelangelo Antonioni ’s “L’Eclisse” (“Eclipse”).

And “Le Samouraï” (1967), released in the United States as “The Godson,” and the jewelry-heist flick “Le Cercle Rouge” (1970), in which Mr. Delon was a sinister, mustachioed ex-con, were both directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, patron saint of the French New Wave.

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A Star Is Born movie review & film summary (2018)
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