Film Review 'A Star is Born'

Upon release on Oct. 8, A Star Is Born has become one of the best movies of 2018, according to USA Today. With a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.4/10 stars on IMDB, the film exceeds expectations, considering it is the fourth remake of the original A Star Is Born film.

The cross between a humble yet edgy hotel waitress and a deep-rooted, rugged rockstar creates an interesting and balanced characterization in Bradley Cooper’s film. The love affair sparked between Jackson Maine, played by Cooper, and Ally, played by Lady Gaga, is unexpected and begins at a drag bar following one of Maine’s shows, when he hears Ally sing “La Vie En Rose.” At that moment, he is sold, and their incredible yet tragic love story begins.

The film shows the chronology of Ally’s infiltration into the music industry after Maine helps her put her foot in the door with her first smash hit, “Shallow,” which also has been at the top of iTunes’ charts since the release of the film. Simultaneously, Cooper and Gaga display the romantic love affair shared between the two musicians as they begin to embark on a journey into Ally’s new popstar lifestyle. Cooper’s film encapsulates the original 1937 American rock-musical-romantic-drama film directed by William A. Wellman beautifully.     

Following Wellman’s 1937 film headlining Janet Gayner and Fredric March, Hart’s 1954 film with Judy Garland and James Mason, and Frank Pierson’s 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, Cooper’s remake took the industry by storm. With 18 remarkably composed songs with the characters singing live throughout the movie, the film mimics a musical.

According to Amanda Prahl of POPSUGAR Entertainment, the songs are credited to several different artists, from longtime veterans of the music industry to Cooper and Gaga themselves. Gaga, who has won six Grammys herself, and Cooper, who has been nominated for four Academy Awards since 2013, are the reason A Star Is Born has cemented the Oscar front-runner status. Topping $100 million in the first 10 days since the film’s release, the movie has critics confident that it will be the third film to win a trio of acting oscars.

A Star Is Born is a must-see film of 2018, as it will make you laugh, cry, and sometimes even both. I was extremely impressed with the performance of both Cooper and Gaga, considering this was Cooper’s first role that involved him both singing and playing an instrument, as well as it being Gaga’s first lead role in a film. Believe it or not, all of Cooper’s and Gaga’s singing numbers were recorded live, which must mean that Cooper’s guitar playing was also real. He supposedly took vocal and guitar lessons for the past three years in order to prepare for this role, one that he had been creating for himself since deciding to bring the project to life in 2015. You would never believe that it is Cooper, who has previously played roles in The Hangover, American Sniper, and Silver Linings Playbook, performing these numbers throughout the movie.

The film is definitely not one to disappoint and will undoubtedly pull at your heart strings and leave you both fulfilled and shocked once you see it. I have already downloaded the entire soundtrack on Spotify and want to see the film a second-time around, and I am not someone who tends to see films more than once.