From the first moment of Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, "A Star is Born," you know it's going to be a wild ride.
Jackson Maine (played by Cooper), a music artist straight out of a bygone era downs his drug addiction with a tall glass of alcoholism before staggering on to stage in front of a roaring crowd. It's a powerful opening that's pumped with the adrenaline of a rock concert and packed with the tension of a ticking time bomb.
While it's set in modern-day, the story is one that closely follows in its predecessors footsteps-a girl with songwriting dreams, Ally (Lady Gaga), meets a man and music legend, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), with the ability to make them come true. As her star rises his crashes and burns.
With three incarnations already out in the world, you have to wonder if this "Star" has anything new to say. Perhaps it doesn't, but the award-worthy performances of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper make the whole film seem worth it.
As Jackson Maine, Bradley Cooper demonstrates a grittiness and gruffness that might surprise fans. His Maine is complex and complicated, to say the least. He's an artist who loathes the spotlight so much that you can see it. He hides beneath his wide-brimmed hats and unkempt hair, and even visibly cowers at times. It's fascinating, and clearly illustrates why he's drawn to and overly protective of Ally and her integrity as an artist.
As cliché as it might sound, Lady Gaga was born to play this role. There's an honesty to her performance that you can't fake. When she steps on to the stage, overwhelmed by the crowd of thousands, you believe this whole experience is new to her. And in a way it is. She leaves the persona of Gaga behind, and we meet the woman beneath for the first time. It's a true star turn, and it makes the film's glaring shortcoming all that much harder to bear.
Unfortunately that shortcoming is in the very bones of the film. It's also something that you may not have noticed. Ally seems to exist in a world that's nearly devoid of other women. Aside from a few backup dancers, a clerk, a couple of assistants, an award presenter, and another artist's wife there are no females in this film. The ones who are there are literally in the background. The worst part is that it seems more like a studio oversight than an intentional statement, which is troubling.
That being said, "A Star is Born," is a valiant effort. Lady Gaga's performance is breathtaking. Bradley Cooper directorial debut shows room for improvement, but is definitely a strong start, and his performance is masterful. Still in 2018, it would be nice to see a representation that matches the world we live in and not a bygone era.
...just for fun:
