Review 476: A Star is Born

A Star is Born is beautifully made, touchingly told musical film and A Real Emotional Knockout!

Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) is a hard-drinking celebrity country singer who also privately battles alcohol and drug addiction. One night he witnesses a performance from Ally Campana (Stefani Germanotta), a waitress and aspiring singer-songwriter at a drag bar.
Amazed by her talents, Maine invites her to come on tour with him and they fall in love.
But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship begins to break down as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own inner demons.

The plot is a familiar

Not only is it a moving and heartbreaking love story, it's also a tough examination at Addiction and Depression.
The film also acts as an exploration of the culture of popular music and shows how the music business tries to manipulate talented artists into products: Throughout the film, Ally is pressured by record producer Rez (Rafi Gavin) into moving away from country music and more towards pop which is decidedly more popular.
The film also serves as an excellent commentary on the modern music industry, how it takes an artist like Ally Campano and attempts to turn her into something she isn't. And the film excellently contrasts her with Jackson i.e. someone who has been in the industry for a long time who feels like he's running out of juice. It shows how that industry can take an artist (in this case Ally) and transform them into a product/package for everyone to consume as oppose to someone who has an individual voice.  

Bradley Cooper makes a superb directorial debut; The opening concert scene where we're first introduced to Jackson is powerhouse performance, through his use of lighting, and dynamic camera angles such as close ups, I felt like I was in concert. The cinematography is gorgeous, the lighting is stunning, the locations are fabulous, the production design is brilliant, the costumes are sublime, the musical numbers are breathtaking, the make up is rich.

Bradley Cooper and Stefani Germanotta/Lady Gaga are enchanting together, their individual performances and chemistry just light up the screen. When they first meet, they're a perfect contrast for each other: One is on the up, the other's on the down. Jackson sees in Ally something that he's lost in himself because he's touring but he's become disillusioned. Ally, on the other hand, is someone who hasn't broken through yet. She's terrified of putting her songs out in public, she's convinced that the music industry is full of people who say that she "sounds good but doesn't look good".

Lady Gaga supplies some nice pipes - which is to be expected from this woman. She reminds us what a powerhouse singer she is as well as show she has some serious acting chops. A lot of the elements of her character feel almost semi-autobiographical. At the start of the film, Ally is an aspiring singer-songwriter who works as a waitress

Additionally, Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay (yes really), Anthony Ramos, Rafi Gavin, Greg Grunberg and Rebecca Gail round out the large supporting cast.

playing Bobby Maine, Jack's older half-brother and manager. He helps Jackson out on his tours, gets him gigs and generally is having a very hard time watching his brother circle the drain.  

A Star is most defiantly Born in this film, 4.5/5

The Anonymous Critic.