Of all the anticipated films of 2018, A Star Is Born probably has the most wide range of possible outcomes. I equally thought the Bradley Cooper directed, Lady Gaga starring remake could be a new modern classic or a fat guy stomach first into the pool type of flop. The film ends up somewhere in the middle, and flirts with both ends of the possibility spectrum, which might not make it good, but CERTAINLY makes it entertaining.
The story is similar to the previous remakes: a past his prime country singer Jack (Cooper) stumbles upon a mega talented singer (Lady Gaga) in a drag club after a show. The two instantly find a connection, with the washed up country bro giving this new star a chance to shine on stage. The world eventually succumbs to Ally’s charisma, and she is reborn a pop sensation. Meanwhile, Jack’s drinking has worsened every day Ally’s star shoots higher, potentially causing fissure to their instant connection and romance.
A Star Is Born can be split into two parts: Ally’s rise, and Jack’s fall. The rise is the much more enjoyable part of the movie, directed in a more subtle and satisfying way. We start out learning a bit about Jack via extreme close up (get used to that by the way). We see he’s a talented musician with a drinking problem, but he’s not a jerk: he’s just self destructive. Then we meet Lady Gaga’s Ally, a sweet funny girl resigned to her life living with her dad (Andrew Dice Clay) and occasionally belting a killer song at a drag show. Fortunately for Ally, Jack is at this show, and sees something in her that she doesn’t see in herself. Their one night courtship is cute and you can see the beginnings of a connection and relationship forming, with Gaga and Cooper selling us on the shipping. The first concert Ally attends is the movie’s highlight: as we see this shy, timid girl accept that her voice is worth a damn thanks to Jack’s confidence, and she goes out there and belts the duet that Jack and her sang the night before, ushering in a brand new, more self-confident Ally. Lady Gaga completely makes you believe this transition, saying so much with her expressive face. And though the movie rushes us into Jack and Ally’s relationship, it makes sense that all these changes might be a rush of euphoria for Ally, so you buy into this new life her and Jack are embarking upon.
And so that which rises, must also fall. As you can probably guess, Jack’s self-destructive behavior isn’t done any favors by being outshown by his now insanely popular girlfriend. Cooper the actor does a good job anchoring this to reality, mostly not saying anything, and just acting out. However, Cooper the actor is betrayed by Cooper the director. In all the rush to get Ally on top, character development for any peripheral characters is pushed to the side. Great actors like Sam Elliott and Dave Chappelle(!) show up for 10 minutes or so to deliver a monologue to Jack, and then disappear. We also get half formed stories like Jack’s hearing loss and Grammy awards shows that push the story into melodramatic territory…VERY melodramatic territory. The biggest failing of the movie’s 2nd half is that is keeps Jack and Ally apart for long stretches of time. Maybe that’s the point: that Ally is too busy and Jack isn’t so he resorts to his worst tendencies, but by doing so we are deprived of the chemistry Gaga and Cooper built in the first half of the film. The saving grace of this half of the story is Lady Gaga, who’s acting chops are much more impressive than I expected. When given agency, Gaga gives Ally an inner fortitude and growing confidence that’s just a joy to witness and see, plus it’s hard not to love watching her sing with that beautiful voice of hers.
The last legacy of A Star Is Born could have been a lot of things. It could be an awards sweeping fable for our times. It could have also been a self-important dumpster fire and pointless reboot. As is, the legacy of this film will be Lady Gaga, and how her talents go beyond singing and dancing. Like Ally, Ms. Gaga really has something to say and deliver for everyone, especially Bradley Cooper, who can hopefully learn a thing or two from his multi-faceted superstar co star.