‘A Star Is Born’ again as Bradley Cooper meets Lady Gaga
No matter what version it’s been told in, “A Star Is Born” always has done especially well by its female stars. The love story of a fading talent and a rising one is as durable as ever in its 2018 retelling – which Freeform shows Tuesday, Feb. 28 – but it can be argued that it’s the one that gets it the most right for its male star, too.
That could be because Bradley Cooper also co-wrote, co-produced and directed the update, but whatever the reason, he gives as good as he gets acting-wise from Lady Gaga, in a hugely impressive performance as a singer-songwriter discovered by the burnout of a rock icon played by Cooper.
The performers feel absolutely authentic together, and while the Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand versions in particular have their timeless pleasures, this “A Star Is Born” gets around Hollywood trappings to present the genuine grit of the music world. Also helpful is an extremely well-chosen supporting cast that includes Andrew Dice Clay as Gaga’s father, the always-great Sam Elliott as Cooper’s brother and manager, and comedian Dave Chappelle as a musical pal of Cooper.
One of the tricks to “A Star Is Born” really working is to make the downward slide of the male protagonist convincing. That’s a tall order for a performer, since he purposely has to look raggedy and throw all vanity (or most of it, anyway) to the wind. Cooper goes for that fully here, and it’s a huge asset, since his looking worse only makes his leading lady look better.
Not that Lady Gaga couldn’t have achieved that largely on her own: She had acted earlier, notably on “American Horror Story,” but this is another story entirely. Making it work is very much on her shoulders as well as Cooper’s, and it has to help that her character is largely about facing challenges in the music business ... as Gaga obviously has herself, so she knows the turf. Also, the picture smartly sets her up to be quite Gaga-esque when she first appears, so she’s given room to surprise viewers from that point forward (which she achieves beautifully).
The duet “Shallow” earned an Oscar and two Grammy Awards, but maybe the single most notable thing about “A Star Is Born” is the fact that it was Cooper’s first movie as a director. He showed remarkable confidence behind the camera while letting himself be vulnerable in front of it ... so in that sense, you really can say that a star was reborn here, too.