A Star Is Born (watched October 3, 2018)

When I first saw the preview for A Star Is Born I was immediately in favor of a feature length film featuring Lady Gaga’s AMAZING voice as well as a shot to hear what Bradley Cooper has in the vocals department. Music is the background to my entire life in the sense that I have playlists for almost every mood/activity; and, it’s been that way since my sister gave me my first two albums as a kid: No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” and Blackstreet’s “Another Level.” When I hear of a beloved actor of mine playing a role that encompasses a prominent musical aspect I simply cannot wait to see what is manifested with the time and resources that these actors have (a feeling that is comparable to when I see an actor who isn’t necessarily known for his/her physical fitness get completely RIPPED for an upcoming project, ie Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy and Rob McElhenney in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). I had NO idea that this version of A Star Is Born is the fourth iteration of a film that first debuted back in 1937. But, now knowing that only adds to the influence of this version.

The movie starts out with Jack (played by Bradley Cooper) deciding to indulge his friend in visiting a place where said friend was looking forward to seeing someone by the name of Ally (played by Lady Gaga) perform. The audience already knows that Jack has had a very tumultuous musical career where fame and fans run as rampant as emotional and physical abuse do. Ally becomes NOT ONLY an instant breath of fresh air for Jack; but, she also seems to give Jack a renewed purpose in life: helping Ally gain the fame and stardom he so DESPERATELY thinks she is deserving of. Jack’s belief in Ally is also a breath of fresh air to her because she has always been told that her wonderful voice is not complemented well enough by her looks (to put it lightly).

The high point for me comes when the two of them finally perform together- something I’m sure the entire audience is eagerly awaiting even before getting to the theater. From that point on it becomes a beautiful tornado of hardships. Jack is in a constant struggle with drug and alcohol abuse while continuing to try and help Ally's career take off. Ally remains in an undying tug-of-war between focusing as much as she is physically and mentally able to on her career while making sense of how somebody as damaged as Jack could take such an interest in her and essentially set all the wheels in motion to help her achieve something she once treated as a dream but had become resigned to treating as an impossibility. The chemistry between both characters seems a bit contrived at first, but each is so quickly thrown to the "wolves" that is each other’s lives, that I cared less and less for how this pairing came to be and more and more for what beautiful mess it would inevitably become.

Lady Gaga clearly carries the musical aspects of this film; but, Bradley Cooper pleasantly surprises me and proves capable of keeping up with Lady Gaga in that department. If you’re a fan of music in its purest form and are a sucker for love stories, as I am, then you should appreciate this movie. It’s the type of film where you download the soundtrack before getting out of your seat to leave the theater. Chances are someone or everybody in your movie viewing crew will shed some tears, so bring a few tissues and get ready for an emotional roller coaster. If you decide not to watch it, then you can at least enjoy the soundtrack even without any backstory because it certainly has a handful of catchy tracks.

This film is also longer than 2 hours; and, it does have its stagnant moments. That said, in my opinion, this is still a film you should watch ASAP. If you're a true fan of music, then I would strongly suggest you watch it in either IMAX or with a solid speaker system. This film gets 4 out of 5 reps from me and I will be watching YouTube videos of the performances in this movie for years to come.

Have you seen this shooting star yet?