By Nadia Ranaputri
Director: Bradley Cooper
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliot, Dave Chapelle, Andrew Dice Clay, Anthony Ramos.
A Star is Born has had three previous remakes in the past, there's the original 1937 version, which led to remakes in 1954 and 1974. Each of the films contain a similar core story: an established figure in the entertainment industry who is overshadowed by an up and coming artist who eventually finds her way to the top, but it's executed in different ways to reflect on the background of the years they were released. In the 1937 film, it was a story between an aspiring actress played by Janet Gaynor and an already established actor played by Fredric March. By 1954, it was about an aspiring singer played by Judy Garland and a once infamous actor played by James Mason. The 1974 remake (the film that the 2018 version draws most of its inspiration from) also had an aspiring singer played by Barbra Streisand and a rock star played by Kris Kristofferson. Now, 44 years after the last rendition of the film, we have yet another remake of A Star is Born, this time with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
A Star is Born begins with well-established musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), who on his way home from his concert, comes upon a drag bar unbeknownst to him, with an excuse that he needed another bottle of booze. He's in luck, because there, he meets aspiring singer Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress turned occassional entertainer who turned heads with her performance of "La Vie En Rose" that immediately draws Jack to her. They spend the night together and by the next day, Ally is unexpectedly invited to sing with him on stage at his next concert. This leads them to pursue a romantic relationship and tour together on stage, which eventually helps Ally to rise to stardom, attracting a famous music producer and starting a solo act of her own. As Ally ascends her way to fame, Jack becomes aware of his descent from it, with his lifelong struggle of heavy drinking and passing out after concerts.
The main stars of the film, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, are really the driving force of the film. They play off each other brilliantly. Cooper, on one hand, is given a heavy part as a talented musician who is struggling with alcohol addiction. Cooper's performance is one deserving of an Oscar nomination, because this is perhaps the best performance I have ever seen from him. To play someone with so much weight and complexity is no easy feat, and Cooper takes on the role as if he's prepared for it his whole life, all while tugging heartstrings at his most emotional moments. Lady Gaga as Ally, on the other hand, isn't as complex of a character as Jack, but still manages to shine alongside Cooper. In tense moments, Lady Gaga is a force to be reckoned with, especially when she's placed in the same room with Cooper. There is a great amount of genuine chemistry between the two that really shines through, tremendously helped by Cooper and Gaga's performances of course, though the more plot based aspects of the romance had slight issues (we'll get to that in a moment).
As Cooper's first directorial debut, it is a stunner, and it's obvious that he has learned from his fellow directors of how they work behind the camera. Apart from his impressive vocals, his attention to detail and originality really shines through the screen, leaping with great potential. If you've read his interview with The New York Times, Cooper is fond of the fact that he is able to show a reflection of himself in the film, being both the director and the main lead. This is his take on the story, and it shows, very brilliantly, of his own personal take. With cinematographer Matthew Libatique, the film is resilient on raw emotions, keeping its shots fixtated on its actors, even during the musical numbers, as to give an intimate glimpse on the artists performing on stage. It remains that way during most of the emotional parts, especially when it's between Cooper and Gaga, which are brilliant and shows serious star power between two incredible performances.
A Star is Born isn't shy of showing how fame can change a person, particularly for Ally, as someone who started out being loved for her pureness and passion in her songs but isn't given enough freedom when drastically changed to someone she isn't. It plays some similar beats to Damien Chazelle's La La Land, where one of our protagonists strives for success in a career he/she wants to aim for, and in the process, there are struggles to be faced, and lots of ground to cover. When they do get successful however, it turns the tables on them in order to further turn their image into something that would allign with what is trending in the entire world. Just as Ryan Gosling's Sebastian in La La Land strives to bring authentic jazz back into the mainstream, Gaga's Ally does the same with the power of her soulful voice and original lyrics. Once they do reach the peak of their dreams, the industry tweaks their image in order to appeal to the mainstream audience. For Sebastian, it's trading authentic jazz for pop beats, and for Ally, it's her authentic solo singing style for catchy beats and backup dancers. It aims for the right amount of authenticity inside of the portrayal of an industry that is anything but.
It does however, slightly falter in Ally's arc during the second act. While Ally rises to stardom, it doesn't feel as emotionally packed as the beginning of her arc, which was one of the hightlights of the film. Perhaps it is the film's way of saying that as Ally rose to stardom, part of her authenticity and ability to say something for herself is stripped away. But this is also where Maine's arc of his eventual fall from stardom comes clashing in, and that's where most of that rawness and authenticity comes from during the second act. The fact is, Jack isn't jealous of her newfound stardom, he's sad that it has completely changed how she sends her form of art to the audience, continuously losing one of the things he loved her for in the first place: her ability to send soulful message through her booming voice and original lyrics.
One of those moments came when Ally decided to change something about her image (one of the characters claim that it was her own decision), which shocks Jack, who decides to hold his true reaction as to not make her upset about her decision. Jack is the character that is perhaps the most fleshed out, laying his downfall from his stardom while Ally rises to hers, and it's shown in a heartbreaking way, such as when at some point, Jack was expected to perform at a show, but is replaced at the last minute by a much younger singer. His response? He offers to play second fiddle by being the guitarist on the background.
What held A Star is Born from being masterful however, is the pacing. It isn't too major, but sometimes the pacing feels off, as if there was something that needed to shown to further elaborate on a particular arc, but didn't. Sometimes the film picks up on a significant time jump, but you can't tell until it shows a sudden development that makes you wonder if you missed something. This mostly happens during the second act, where Ally rises to stardom, while Jack's career begins to go downhill. The first act sometimes suffers the same, though as said before, it is not something too major, it just needed to make some room for some arcs to be fleshed out more. While most of the first act is jam packed, some aspects of Jack and Ally's relationship felt as if it developed a little too quick to suddenly turn to a romance. Not that I didn't like their romance, it just needed to be a little more fleshed out to further develop their relationship in the beginning.
But there's a lot to be loved from A Star is Born, one of which are the musical numbers. The soundtrack is spectacular, and every single number packs a powerful beat. The decision for Cooper and Gaga to sing live during the filming itself instead of recording the songs prior to filming is a brilliant choice, and shows the amount of dedication into making the film as real as possible. Some comparisons could be drawn to big-screen musicals, particularly La La Land, in terms of portraying the struggles in making it big in show business, though other than that, they couldn't be any more different. What differentiates A Star is Born from other modern musicals is that it captures something that is emotionally raw, especially when it comes to what Jack and Ally would have to go through in the film. That's what made it shine. There is a line that Cooper's Jackson Maine says to Ally that to me, is the film's main message and driving force: "Talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag." To them, having something to say was through singing, but to us as the audience, it's through the film itself.
Overall verdict: A Star is Born thrives in making something as authentic as possible, putting struggles of making it in show business as well as the incredible musical numbers that are wonderfully performed by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga (Black Eyes, Shallow, and I'll Never Love Again are my personal favorites). The two leads have excellent chemistry, especially when it comes to the more emotional moments. The film's attempt in sending the message of the risks of trying to make it big in the entertainment industry is for the most part, well conveyed, but some aspects, particularly when it comes to Ally's arc; don't feel as emotionally packed when compared to the development of Jack's arc or the stuff that happens during the first and second act (though they have some minor pacing issues). Jack is probably the most fleshed out character of the two, drawing conplexities in his struggles with alcoholism that literally drove him to a breaking point sometime during the film which one of the film's most heartbreaking moments. Despite its issues, A Star is Born packs many emotional and heart-wrenching moments that are conveyed successfully.
Stars: 4/5
Trailer
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliot, Dave Chapelle, Andrew Dice Clay, Anthony Ramos.
A Star is Born has had three previous remakes in the past, there's the original 1937 version, which led to remakes in 1954 and 1974. Each of the films contain a similar core story: an established figure in the entertainment industry who is overshadowed by an up and coming artist who eventually finds her way to the top, but it's executed in different ways to reflect on the background of the years they were released. In the 1937 film, it was a story between an aspiring actress played by Janet Gaynor and an already established actor played by Fredric March. By 1954, it was about an aspiring singer played by Judy Garland and a once infamous actor played by James Mason. The 1974 remake (the film that the 2018 version draws most of its inspiration from) also had an aspiring singer played by Barbra Streisand and a rock star played by Kris Kristofferson. Now, 44 years after the last rendition of the film, we have yet another remake of A Star is Born, this time with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
A Star is Born begins with well-established musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), who on his way home from his concert, comes upon a drag bar unbeknownst to him, with an excuse that he needed another bottle of booze. He's in luck, because there, he meets aspiring singer Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress turned occassional entertainer who turned heads with her performance of "La Vie En Rose" that immediately draws Jack to her. They spend the night together and by the next day, Ally is unexpectedly invited to sing with him on stage at his next concert. This leads them to pursue a romantic relationship and tour together on stage, which eventually helps Ally to rise to stardom, attracting a famous music producer and starting a solo act of her own. As Ally ascends her way to fame, Jack becomes aware of his descent from it, with his lifelong struggle of heavy drinking and passing out after concerts.
The main stars of the film, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, are really the driving force of the film. They play off each other brilliantly. Cooper, on one hand, is given a heavy part as a talented musician who is struggling with alcohol addiction. Cooper's performance is one deserving of an Oscar nomination, because this is perhaps the best performance I have ever seen from him. To play someone with so much weight and complexity is no easy feat, and Cooper takes on the role as if he's prepared for it his whole life, all while tugging heartstrings at his most emotional moments. Lady Gaga as Ally, on the other hand, isn't as complex of a character as Jack, but still manages to shine alongside Cooper. In tense moments, Lady Gaga is a force to be reckoned with, especially when she's placed in the same room with Cooper. There is a great amount of genuine chemistry between the two that really shines through, tremendously helped by Cooper and Gaga's performances of course, though the more plot based aspects of the romance had slight issues (we'll get to that in a moment).
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
As Cooper's first directorial debut, it is a stunner, and it's obvious that he has learned from his fellow directors of how they work behind the camera. Apart from his impressive vocals, his attention to detail and originality really shines through the screen, leaping with great potential. If you've read his interview with The New York Times, Cooper is fond of the fact that he is able to show a reflection of himself in the film, being both the director and the main lead. This is his take on the story, and it shows, very brilliantly, of his own personal take. With cinematographer Matthew Libatique, the film is resilient on raw emotions, keeping its shots fixtated on its actors, even during the musical numbers, as to give an intimate glimpse on the artists performing on stage. It remains that way during most of the emotional parts, especially when it's between Cooper and Gaga, which are brilliant and shows serious star power between two incredible performances.
A Star is Born isn't shy of showing how fame can change a person, particularly for Ally, as someone who started out being loved for her pureness and passion in her songs but isn't given enough freedom when drastically changed to someone she isn't. It plays some similar beats to Damien Chazelle's La La Land, where one of our protagonists strives for success in a career he/she wants to aim for, and in the process, there are struggles to be faced, and lots of ground to cover. When they do get successful however, it turns the tables on them in order to further turn their image into something that would allign with what is trending in the entire world. Just as Ryan Gosling's Sebastian in La La Land strives to bring authentic jazz back into the mainstream, Gaga's Ally does the same with the power of her soulful voice and original lyrics. Once they do reach the peak of their dreams, the industry tweaks their image in order to appeal to the mainstream audience. For Sebastian, it's trading authentic jazz for pop beats, and for Ally, it's her authentic solo singing style for catchy beats and backup dancers. It aims for the right amount of authenticity inside of the portrayal of an industry that is anything but.
It does however, slightly falter in Ally's arc during the second act. While Ally rises to stardom, it doesn't feel as emotionally packed as the beginning of her arc, which was one of the hightlights of the film. Perhaps it is the film's way of saying that as Ally rose to stardom, part of her authenticity and ability to say something for herself is stripped away. But this is also where Maine's arc of his eventual fall from stardom comes clashing in, and that's where most of that rawness and authenticity comes from during the second act. The fact is, Jack isn't jealous of her newfound stardom, he's sad that it has completely changed how she sends her form of art to the audience, continuously losing one of the things he loved her for in the first place: her ability to send soulful message through her booming voice and original lyrics.
One of those moments came when Ally decided to change something about her image (one of the characters claim that it was her own decision), which shocks Jack, who decides to hold his true reaction as to not make her upset about her decision. Jack is the character that is perhaps the most fleshed out, laying his downfall from his stardom while Ally rises to hers, and it's shown in a heartbreaking way, such as when at some point, Jack was expected to perform at a show, but is replaced at the last minute by a much younger singer. His response? He offers to play second fiddle by being the guitarist on the background.
 |
| Image source: IMDB |
What held A Star is Born from being masterful however, is the pacing. It isn't too major, but sometimes the pacing feels off, as if there was something that needed to shown to further elaborate on a particular arc, but didn't. Sometimes the film picks up on a significant time jump, but you can't tell until it shows a sudden development that makes you wonder if you missed something. This mostly happens during the second act, where Ally rises to stardom, while Jack's career begins to go downhill. The first act sometimes suffers the same, though as said before, it is not something too major, it just needed to make some room for some arcs to be fleshed out more. While most of the first act is jam packed, some aspects of Jack and Ally's relationship felt as if it developed a little too quick to suddenly turn to a romance. Not that I didn't like their romance, it just needed to be a little more fleshed out to further develop their relationship in the beginning.
But there's a lot to be loved from A Star is Born, one of which are the musical numbers. The soundtrack is spectacular, and every single number packs a powerful beat. The decision for Cooper and Gaga to sing live during the filming itself instead of recording the songs prior to filming is a brilliant choice, and shows the amount of dedication into making the film as real as possible. Some comparisons could be drawn to big-screen musicals, particularly La La Land, in terms of portraying the struggles in making it big in show business, though other than that, they couldn't be any more different. What differentiates A Star is Born from other modern musicals is that it captures something that is emotionally raw, especially when it comes to what Jack and Ally would have to go through in the film. That's what made it shine. There is a line that Cooper's Jackson Maine says to Ally that to me, is the film's main message and driving force: "Talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag." To them, having something to say was through singing, but to us as the audience, it's through the film itself.
 |
| Image source: Culturess.com |
Overall verdict: A Star is Born thrives in making something as authentic as possible, putting struggles of making it in show business as well as the incredible musical numbers that are wonderfully performed by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga (Black Eyes, Shallow, and I'll Never Love Again are my personal favorites). The two leads have excellent chemistry, especially when it comes to the more emotional moments. The film's attempt in sending the message of the risks of trying to make it big in the entertainment industry is for the most part, well conveyed, but some aspects, particularly when it comes to Ally's arc; don't feel as emotionally packed when compared to the development of Jack's arc or the stuff that happens during the first and second act (though they have some minor pacing issues). Jack is probably the most fleshed out character of the two, drawing conplexities in his struggles with alcoholism that literally drove him to a breaking point sometime during the film which one of the film's most heartbreaking moments. Despite its issues, A Star is Born packs many emotional and heart-wrenching moments that are conveyed successfully.
Stars: 4/5
Trailer
