A tale that truly sings
A STAR IS BORN Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle. A raw twinkle leaves a lasting afterglow
IN A key exchange during the spectacularly alive, astute and absorbing new rendition of the classic Hollywood melodrama A Star Is Born, tormented singer-songwriter Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) is offered one last chance to make peace with his troubled talent.
“Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave,” says his older, wiser brother Bobby (Sam Elliott).
“Twelve notes, and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over, forever. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.”
This remake of A Star Is Born marks the fourth time Hollywood has visited this familiar tale of triumph, tragedy and trusting in love when all else fails.
However, this is no mere modern cover version humming the same old tune.
Making a brilliantly focused debut as director, Bradley Cooper rearranges a well-known melody into a fresh, exciting and moving new composition. Sure, he still lets the octave repeat, but those 12 soaring notes scaled by A Star Is Born? Man, do they sing. The end result is one of the truly great movie experiences of 2018.
There is one voice above all else emitting a sound so sweet, sorrowful and soulful that resistance to A Star Is Born is all but impossible. It’s that of pop diva Lady Gaga, making an astonishing feature lead acting debut in the role of Ally.
While Gaga’s raw musical performances are first class, her dramatic work is just as impressive.
The first-timer exudes a natural warmth and unforced emotional authenticity beyond the grasp of most seasoned pros.
All of her great work meshes perfectly with Cooper’s mesmerising display as Jackson, a veteran roots rocker with fading hearing and a debilitating love of the demon drink.
Together, this wellmatched pair will just keep melting and breaking your heart throughout.
Jackson is the kind of drunk more inclined to pass out than lash out and the spark he senses in a kindred spirit like Ally is almost enough to send him sober.
Almost. For Ally is a talented musician in her own right and when a super-smitten Jackson kindly lends his profile to showcasing her obvious talent, her meteoric rise invites fate to do its cruellest to drive them apart.
The chemistry shared by Gaga and Cooper — whether on stage during the movie’s dynamic live music sequences, or casually swapping lines walking along a street — is at once appealing, involving and concerning.
Their characters embody a poignant paradox that is only magnified as the film wears on: how can two people who naturally bring the best out of each other also be so wrong for one another?