A Star Is Born: prepare to be dazzled
A Star Is Born is the kind of movie that gets under your skin and stays with you long after you've left the theater. It's taken me over a week to write this review because there is so much to say and yet it all seems to fall short of just how good this film is. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are simply incredible. I don't think I was fully breathing during the film I was so swept up in them. Everything is beautiful-the actors, the cinematography, the music. Even the story was tragically beautiful. Lady Gaga transcends her own being and wholly becomes her character Ally. Ally is tough and her own person and yet vulnerable and emotional at the same time. She transitions so effortlessly from relying on Jackson Maine to being the strong one in their relationship, and in his world. Her evolution as an artist from a shy, folksy singer to full blown pop star is done so well that I couldn't help but wonder if Ally's career path was a mirror of Gaga's own journey when she was first starting out in music. Bradley Cooper also successfully shakes off his own "Bradley Cooper-ness". I never got the feeling I was watching a big movie star playing at being a musician. His Jackson Maine is troubled and has serious addiction issues and he plays it in a way that is hauntingly raw and so real I forgot that it was a scripted film for a bit of time. He is an all around mess and yet Cooper plays him so endearingly well that when he says "I just want to take another look at you" to Ally I think my brain short circuited and my heart exploded. Both Cooper and Gaga will draw you in and it’s hard to look away from either of them for even the slightest moment.
While the characters are a revelation in their own individual way, the story is equally as strong. What starts out as an endearing love story and a fun glimpse into the world of a rock star progresses into something weighted and heavy. Before you know it you are in deep with both characters and it's suddenly not a lighthearted romance but a complicated and sad story of addiction and identity. By the time you get to this point there's no turning back for you or the characters as the film continues down its own tragic road. While this seems rather harrowing, it is heartrendingly real and, really, the only way the story could have gone. What ultimately works is that everything feels intentional and has some kind of meaning. There is not a tear shed or a drink knocked back that doesn't serve some kind of purpose in progressing the story.
In the end the silver lining of this film, and what makes it not a total cry fest all the way through, is the music. Gaga's initial performance of La Vie en Rose will knock you out and it only gets better from there. "Shallow" and "Always Remember Us This Way" are two particular stand out songs but the entire soundtrack is gold. It's real music you would hear on the radio, not just songs written to fit into a movie scene, and you’ll want to listen to it on repeat for weeks.
There's not much more to say other than go see this movie. See it in a theater so you can fully appreciate the music and the beauty of it all. It’s the kind of film that will be talked about long after it’s been taken out of theaters.