A Star Is Born
In a world where Hollywood is known more for reboots, sequels, and spinoffs than artistic integrity, it is rare to see a remake of a film that offers a new take on the original. When the fourth remake of “A Star Is Born” was announced, with Bradley Cooper directing and starring alongside Lady Gaga, it looked to be a stale retread of an all too familiar story. Fortunately for Hollywood (and its audience), this latest “A Star Is Born” is anything but stale.
Sure, the story is old school: popular rock star Jackson Maine (Cooper), falling into the depths of alcoholism, meets aspiring singer-songwriter Ally (Gaga), whom he falls in love with and brings great fame. She rises while he falls. The tale is traditional because the first version of it was 1932’s “What Price Hollywood?”, about a director and young actress. The next two films, which were released in 1937 and 1954, were both entitled “A Star Is Born,” and were also about acting. Finally, 1976’s “A Star Is Born” shifted the focus from acting to singing.
This year’s “A Star Is Born” implements the music into the storyline with grace, seamlessly transitioning from the loud, pulsing atmosphere of one of Maine’s concerts to the absolute silence of his limo to a quiet, intimate moment of Ally singing from the heart.
The songs themselves, are, of course, outstanding. The film uses a variety of different genres. Jackson Maine’s songs are part rock and part alt-country, while Ally’s skew more towards pop music. It’s a safe bet that one of the songs from this film will win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Either the chills-inducing “Shallow” or the heart-wrenching “I’ll Never Love Again” are good picks.
The performance scenes are some of the best of the movie. The film opens with one of Maine’s concerts, where he is performing “Black Eyes,” just one of the many great songs in the film. Matthew Libatique’s cinematography here is in your face, but in the best way possible. His camera gets up close and personal with Maine and his guitar, and most of the shots are flooded by the lights from the concert. This technique really puts you there in the moment, and the concerts are exhilarating.
The cinematography continues to be excellent throughout the entire film. Characters’ faces fill the screen, giving you a chance to see the great acting on display here. Cooper is an established screen presence, but his performance here ranks as one of his best. Cooper actually changed his voice for the role, imitating fellow actor Sam Elliott (who also appears in the film). The imitation is spot-on, with his resulting gravelly voice drawing you in. Cooper’s sunken eyes betray his character’s struggles with addiction, as Maine is at some level of intoxication for a large part of the film.
Gaga, in her first major film role, shines as Ally, giving a naturalistic, stripped-down performance that goes hand-in-hand with her off-screen persona. She is best known as a singer, and she usually wears a heavy amount of make-up in her performances. In the film, however, she has almost none, and her (and Ally’s) inner conflict about her appearance is revealed. In the film, Ally says she doesn’t feel comfortable singing her own songs because, “Almost every single person has told me they like the way I sounded but they didn’t like the way I look.”
The supporting cast is also particularly strong. Elliott turns in a solid performance that will almost certainly be nominated for Best Supporting Actor come January. He plays Jackson Maine’s older brother, who is angry at Jackson for “stealing” his voice to become a star, but he still supports Jack no matter what. Andrew Dice Clay, as Ally’s father who wanted to be a crooner like Sinatra when he was younger, is used mostly for comedic relief but has a few powerful scenes as well.
Unfortunately, the film is hampered slightly by Rafi Gavron’s character, Rez, who is Ally’s talent agent and is responsible in part for her rise and especially Jack’s fall. He is a walking cliché who only exists to create conflict within the plot. Rez is portrayed only as a villain, to be blamed for everything bad that happens in the third act. Ally’s rise to fame, and, according to Jack, move away from “traditional” performance, is not tracked well in the film and some scenes feel out of nowhere.
In the end, the good outweighs the bad in “A Star Is Born.” Freshened by Cooper’s direction, an outstanding cast, sublime music, and cinematographic perfection, this is a rare Oscar-worthy remake. It’s ironic that in the film, Maine tries, but is unable to, rebrand himself as “new” and “fresh” because both Cooper and Gaga have shown their chops in roles different from what they usually do. This year, two stars have been reborn: Gaga as actress, and Cooper as director.
{★★★½}