A Star Is Born

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)

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 was skeptical about this film, but it ended up being enjoyable, touching, and Bradley Cooper deserves much admiration for his acting, directing, writing and singing. Lady Gaga has already shown in American Horror Story that she can act too and here she just strongly confirms it and I hope she gets a well-deserved Oscar. The highlight for me was Ally's first appearance on stage, she literally brings the whole stadium down with her voice. I also praise the well-chosen songs. A solid film for the genre, but I'm not the target audience. 75%. (12/30/2018)

Surprisingly mature filmmaking. Bradley Cooper manages to sell both the big concert scenes and the small intimate ones where two people talk with complete ease. He gives quite possibly the best performance of his career, and Lady Gaga definitely deserves all the awards she picks up. Even the songs can move or tear you up and it's awfully good to watch. The only major complaint might be a certain predictability and schematicism, but on the other hand, in this case it would be unfair to the film to criticize it. This is exactly what it promised and delivered and in a highly superior performance. A film that is honest, functional and superbly shot and acted, and moving. (10/04/2018)

The story may be all cliche, but if it captivates me so much, should I mind? Why would I? A Star Is Born is a great film with great performances (excellent actor Bradley Cooper sings excellently and excellent singer Lady Gaga acts excellently), shot with a familiar sure hand (perhaps producer Clint Eastwood gave a bit of advice?) and with a great soundtrack composed from original songs, each of which could be a hit. I'm just happy enough to give it five stars. (11/30/2018)