Spoiled Rotten—A Star Is Born (2018)

TL:WR—As hard as it may be for some, forget the previous versions of this story and go see this movie on the big screen. Now. 4.5 STARS

A good movie can hold its own when based on a previous version. A great movie can make an audience forget there ever was a previous version. A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper does just that. It’s not simply that this version is more contemporary, which could be true if the movie only succeeded because of the soundtrack. And the soundtrack is fantastic and I say that as someone who doesn’t own any Lady Gaga music. But the writing and acting are the reasons that this movie will be nominated for a ton of awards, win several, and still be a favorite movie of many a decade from now.

Making his directorial debut, Bradley Cooper shows that he’s not just a Hollywood hunk and, if that isn’t enough, that he’s not just a talented singer that holds his own in the presence of Lady Gaga. No, Bradley has the ability to direct. The best film directors are those that make their mark by making a movie from beginning to end without anyone ever thinking of them. It’s only when a director does something wrong that we even remember movies have directors. Cooper’s vision of an famous outlaw country singer, perhaps just past his peak, whose entire persona is a result of a difficult childhood that found him ignored by his father and older half-brother to the point of attempting suicide at the age of 12, rings so true that you wonder if it’s autobiographical. It isn’t. And it doesn’t matter, because the salient points of that story are so true for the modern times in which we live that we immediately understand the pain endured by this heavy drinking, pill addicted man who is as beloved by his fans as much as he hates himself. And he really hates himself.

Cooper’s duel role in the movie as the main lead of Jackson Maine is a joy to watch when he’s loving life and feeding off the energy of the crowds and returning it in raw, emotional musical performances throughout the movie. At the same time, it’s heartbreakingly painful to watch when Maine attempts time and again to drown the pain that he must surely feel is at his core. It’s half-way through the movie that we learn Maine tried to hang himself at the age of 12 and failed only because the ceiling fan couldn’t support his weight. If you’ve ever had these dark thoughts or know someone well enough that has, it’s a forgone conclusion in your mind as you sit in the dark watching the rest of the movie that Maine will try again and, you know and hate knowing, that he will succeed. And so he does.

Lady Gaga, as stated by Cooper in several interviews leading up to the movie’s premiere on August 31st, was a late choice in the lead role and yet it was one for which Cooper apparently fought hard. Gaga, like Barbara Streisand in the 1976 version of the movie, has a larger-than-life persona, and you can’t blame anyone for worrying about her over-shining the movie itself. But she surprised everyone, except Cooper if he’s to be believed. Lady Gaga plays the part of Ally so well, and so understated at all of the right times, that viewers unfamiliar with her as a pop diva might believe she’s some lucky young actress for which A Star Is Born will be the greatest achievement of her career. Doubtful that’s the case. But she is brilliant in her role, playing the part of a shy but talented young struggling artist suddenly pushed into the spotlight in front of the world, all because she caught the eye of a drunk outlaw country star who wandered into a bar looking for his next drink. And this is where I find myself thinking a bit deeper about the story and the characters and how their lives unfold. Maine’s death seems to be his destiny—not that everyone who attempts suicide will attempt again. But whatever pain drives a 12 year old to attempt suicide is the pain that Maine never dealt with and instead carried around for another 30 years or more. Ally, on the other hand, is the star of the title, and we witness her birth as a star, and she certainly wanted it to happen—she was performing at a drag bar, after all. But Maine finds her. Maine has his driver stalk Ally to whisk her off to his concert. Maine pulls her on stage. Maine puts her at ease in her first recording session. And Maine proposes marriage. Ally has all of these important moments in her life thrust upon her, including ultimately her own pain of having to live with the tragedy of losing the love of her life to suicide. No one watching the film doubts that Ally will go on. She will. Her talent is all her own. But she will always be shaped by a deep love and a painful loss that she never asked for. There’s a bigger story here that resonates with audiences because in 2018 we’re much more aware of clinical depression and suicide than we have ever been. This is a damn good thing and A Star Is Born will become part of the ongoing conversation, thanks to the realistic portrayal that neither preaches nor glamourizes. Cooper and Lady Gaga give us a movie that handles it just right.

There are also some bright spots with the supporting cast, especially Andrew Dice Clay as Ally’s father, Sam Elliot as Maine’s much older half-brother and manager and a too-small of a role for Dave Chappelle as Maine’s long-time friend. Each of these actors could have easily had more screen time and audiences would have loved it. But at a 135 minutes and a budget of $40 million, it’s easy to assume that Cooper knew what he was doing. I think he did.

Dramas aren’t prone to plot holes like so many sci-fi and action movies and A Star Is Born is no exception. Everything that needs explaining is explained and the rest works without explanation. There is also no need to discuss a sequel, which sounds ridiculous but so many movies are made with an ending that leaves the possibility open. A Star Is Born tells a complete story completely and adding anything else would only subtract from the whole.

That’s my take on A Star Is Born. What do you think?