A Star Is Born

The melodrama, which works as long as the two of them are searching for the way to each other, are inseparable, partying backstage and sing duets. However, as soon as Ally leaves the civilian image and embarks on a horrible pop-solo career (although this is an intention, but the fact that it is hardly watchable does not change anything), it stops working, because suddenly as if Cooper did not know whether to focus more on Jack or Ally. As a result, he doesn't pay much attention to either one. Many touched topics (Jack's brother, Ally's victims, etc.) lead nowhere; which is the most striking in the case of the motif of gradual deafness. It was supposed to be the centerpiece and not a topic that you don't even know if she even knew / think of. The other half is fragmented and without pace, when you know exactly what it is aiming for, but it stretches through too many unnecessary scenes that are completely the same. And so even the final emotional overflowing song tribute will not shake disappointing impressions. (01/20/2019)

The beginning is awesome, the kind of hit parade that Bradley Cooper "the rockstar" sets off in front of packed stands is a cinematic opening that's unmatched by the best ever in filmmaking. It's lively, personal, authentic and with incredible energy. Actually, the whole first half of the film could be characterised in a similar way, because even in the intimate passages it doesn't lose its sparkle and fantastic atmosphere, let alone the performances of the leading duo. A film with a heavy dose of music, which paradoxically often goes sensationally acapella, because when the two main characters interact you feel that you only perceive their voices and otherwise there is silence, nothing else around. That’s to be expected with Cooper, because he's talented, and when a director tells him he'll have to learn a booming rock baritone, he will. But Lady Gaga, a non-actress, delivers a first-rate acting and emotional performance, if she does get the Oscar, nobody will be surprised. Unfortunately, the bar set by the first half does not last into the second half. The final transformation doesn't have enough pull and it's just too much to take in. Rather, it seems to me that Cooper and Libatique are subtly chasing awards with it, but it has a rather digressive effect on the viewer. It's still damn good filmmaking, though, spontaneous, full of energy and fantastic songs and performances, but it's a bit short of a full score. (11/04/2018)

I knew I was getting into rather unfriendly waters as a viewer, but the mostly enthusiastic responses and the Oscar buzz were too strong – if only I could have resisted. A nicely made and very well acted cloying flick with great story potential, but somehow drowning in booze like Bradley’s character. The beginning and the introduction of the characters are good, the first joint stage scene is heart-warming thanks to the beautiful songs, but the rest goes on a motivationally shaky narrative mode that taps on a lot of themes, but none to the extent they would deserve. It seems as if nobody had time to ponder what this story should be about: the rise of an “ugly duckling” into the music industry elite, or the complicated relationship of two talented people with a focus on the alcoholism and the health problems of one of them; in the end, the script aims somewhere between both and never delivers the longed-for catharsis. It’s a pity, because the music and the distinctive characters alone deserved a better movie. (01/21/2019)

A romantic flick for the ladies, A Star Is Born is directed and acted with heart, but lacks a single motif, relationship or storyline that we haven’t seen hundreds of times elsewhere and that would make it stand out. Only Cooper’s acting performance is excellent. And Gaga is very solid for a non-actress. (10/04/2018)

I have probably seen too many of these music dramas already, since I cannot give this movie five stars. However, I completely understand why the overall score is so high. It has quite a few surprises up its sleeve. Only, the whole time I was waiting for the finale and it didn’t manage to shock me as much as I’d wished. The first surprise was Bradley Cooper. Who would have thought that a comedy actor who became famous with the Hangover trilogy will eventually star in such a romantic epic and in addition will show everyone that he can sing and write pretty solid Southern rock? Well, another surprise was, of course, Lady Gaga. I accept her music, I respect her as a pop star, and I acknowledge that her pop music is original. Acting-wise, she wiped the floor with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, who were recently laughing at her at the Golden Globe awards. Hats off. A regular girl, who worked as a waitress, turned into a world-class star. Some of the movie scenes are literally legendary. It’s a shame, then, that the finale wasn’t as epic. Other than that, I must add that if you like music and follow the behind the scenes, you’ll be able to find a whole array of seemingly inconspicuous moments, which will however say a lot about the given scene. That’s what I really liked about it. After viewing I debated, pondered, and debated once again. Bradley and Lady Gaga blowed that cinematic universe into such dimmensions as if they were real music stars. Beautiful. (10/26/2018)