Harry Situation Reviews: A Star is Born
A Star is Born is the musical romantic drama directed, co-written, and stars Bradley Cooper, and it also stars Lady Gaga, minus all the crazy makeup and outfits. The story is about a washed-up musician (played by Bradley Cooper) meets a woman (played by Lady Gaga) who aspires to be a singer. Together they help make her dreams become a reality and fall in love. This film is apparently a remake of the original 1976 version of the same name, which is also a remake of the 1954 version, which is a remake of the original 1937 of the same name.
I can't really compare this movie to the previous versions, mainly because I haven't seen them. But I wanted to see what the buzz was about for this movie, and I gotta say... I loved this movie.
This is Bradley Cooper's first debut as a film director, and I think he may have a future in film directing. Not only that, his performance in this film was amazing. He essentially portrays this great musician that's hitting rock bottom because of his alcoholism and drug abuse. Not to mention that his character is at risk of loosing his hearing. Yet Cooper masterfully potrays him as a human being that's given one more chance at happiness when he mets Lady Gaga's character, and he seems a lot happier whenever he's with her. It's very believable. And he's an incredible singer too. Seriously, that's his singing voice in the whole movie. Bradley Cooper has proven himself that he's more than just one of the funny guys from The Hangover or a talking trash panda from the MCU. This film is a testament to how multi-talented this man is. He could be the next Clint Eastwood. I mean it.
And Lady Gaga, holy shit, Lady Gaga was spectacular in this film. I'll admit that I'm not a big fan of her or her music, but her performance and her incredible vocals just may be enough to change my mind. Absolutely one of the best performances I've seen all year. I think she'll definitely have a future in acting too. If she gets nominated (and wins) an Academy Award for her performance, she deserves it. I'd also like to point out that I think that she's way hotter in this film without all that makeup and costumes.
The romance between Gaga and Cooper is a true hollywood dream. Someone famous falls for another and they help each other achieve their dreams and overcome their obstacles. It's truly beautiful, and it helps when the chemistry between these two feels so real and believable. And when they first sang together, that was the moment that won me over. You'll be rooting for them the whole way through.
Also, I have to mention another stellar performance done by Sam Elliot, who portrays Bradley Cooper's older brother/manager. He's only in the film for about 7-8 minutes, but dammit he gives it his best. One scene in particular that stood out was where Bradley Cooper tells him how he always admired him, and you can see how choked up Sam Elliot is from that delivery that he's trying so hard to hold his tears, with not a single line of dialogue. He deserves an award too for that. Absolutely tremendous.
The music is also amazing. Each song mesmorizes you in every possible way, as much as it mesmorizes the actors performing them. Three songs stick out the most to me: "Always Remember Us This Way", "Shallow", and "I'll Never Love Again". These three were by far the most powerful songs I've heard from any movie to date. My personal favorite is "I'll Never Love Again" because of the powerful emotion it draws and the incredible pitches that Lagy Gaga could reach in this song.
This is also one helluva emotionally charged film to watch. From watching Lady Gaga achieve her dreams to witnessing Cooper spiral out of control, it cannot help but feel for every moment that happens in the film. Just a warning, be sure to bring tissues if you plan on watching this movie. You'll need them.
What I always loved most about going to see a movie in a theater is that there's always going to be that one movie that'll absolutely surprise you in the best way. This is definitely one of those movies. In my opinion, this is one of the best films I've seen all year. So much so that I've seen it twice this week. I have a very good feeling that this movie will be a big contender for next year's Academy Awards, and I'm rooting for it and its stellar cast.
Positives:
-Bradley Cooper's directing
-Cooper's peformance
-Lady Gaga's performance
-Sam Elliot's performance
-Incredible songs & music
-Beautiful love story
-Emotional powerhouse
-One of the best films this year
Negatives:
-None
Final Grade: A+
This movie may have been release a month ago, but I'm lucky that my local theater was still showing it. So those are my thoughts on A Star is Born. Have you seen it already? What were your thoughts? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more AGrade reviews here on Prose!
Best Quote:
Jack: "Hey!"
Ally: "What?"
Jack: "I just wanted to take another look at you."
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