By Helen Stevenson
A Star is Born (A Star) is a story that has been told before. The film has graced the Hollywood big screen three times already: with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in 1937, Judy Garland and James Mason in 1954 and Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in 1976.
But in the latest remake, Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut and Lady Gaga’s first leading role, the story is the best possible version.
Audiences would not be surprised if the movie went through a series of motions with basic writing and stereotypical outcomes: addiction is difficult, fame is toxic and love is everything. But it does not.
A Star is never cheesy or heavy-handed with its message. The writing is honest. Its characters are connected with the audience and each other. It tells a romance that has you fall in love and a heartbreak that leaves you in tears. It will let you know that two stars have been born : Cooper and Gaga.
The story starts with a country-rock star, Cooper’s Jackson Maine. He performs every night for stadiums of people but somehow always ends up alone with a bottle of whiskey. His trauma is often linked back to his childhood and enhanced by the contentious relationship between him and his brother, played by Sam Elliot.
Cooper acts with soul and purpose, a performance enhanced by his impressive singing. He tells a story with his voice, one that screams that Maine is trying to find a way to stop spiraling, with lines like, “It takes a lot to change a man / hell, it takes a lot to try / maybe it’s time to let the old ways die.”
After a show, Maine ends up at a drag bar looking for his next drink when he sees Ally, played by Gaga. She stands on stage and sings “La Vie en Rose” in French. Gaga, a veteran of the music world, sings with power and pure talent. They make eye contact. It’s over.
Ally is a singer, songwriter and waitress who knows she is talented, yet remains convinced she will never make it. She is a fighter, confident in almost everything except the way she looks.
“Almost every single person has told me they like the way I sounded but that they don’t like the way I look,” she confides to Maine. Maine thinks she is beautiful, even enamored by her nose, but that is not the point. Maine knows she is special.
The film is Gaga’s major debut into the world of Hollywood cinema, and living up to the likes of Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand is no small feat. Her acting is spot on. She brings emotion to every scene and proves that she deserves to be among the greats.
Ally is backstage listening to Maine’s heavy guitar when he comes to pull her on stage. She protests. “All you gotta do is trust me,” he says. So she does. The audience does. They trust that she will kill it and they trust that he will stand by her side as she does.
The crowd goes wild. Her fame starts to gain traction, but Maine continues to fall victim to his alcoholism and drug addiction. There are brief moments of clarity that keeps the audience rooting for them.
They desperately want their relationship to work, and they fight to be the best person for each other. Maine struggles to stand back as Ally turns to a more commercial route of pop-stardom and tries to find a way to deal with Maine’s battle with addiction.
Beyond the gritty and raw script, written by Cooper, Eric Roth and Will Fetters, the movie is further enhanced by the original score. The soundtrack debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart and featured the writing of Cooper and Gaga in collaboration with Mark Ronson, Jason Isbell and Lukas Nelson.
A Star is Born is a story that has been told before, but everything about this rendition seems unprecedented. The script, directing and songwriting bring an element of human emotion that all audiences are desperate to hold on to. And they will – it is a story that will stay with you long after you leave the theater.
