Cooper, Gaga find amazing harmony in ‘Star’

Fourth version of film takes it to new heights

With their phenomenal “A Star Is Born,” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper upend expectations and spectacularly freshen up a stock Hollywood story. Simultaneously an immersive concert film, enchanting romance and tear-jerking rock fantasy, “A Star Is Born” rated R; in theaters nationwide Friday) is a dynamic multifaceted showcase for Gaga and Cooper, who makes his directing debut a thing of melodic, masterful beauty. Together, they form an electrifying duo in one of the best movies of 2018 and the finest musical since 2002’s “Chicago.” Cooper isn’t the first one to go down the film’s familiar road: This is the fourth “A Star Is Born,” which tosses in references and story points from earlier iterations and creates something extraordinary. Countrified roots rocker Jackson Maine (Cooper) lives hard and drinks harder. One night after a sold-out show, he winds up at a local drag bar and falls in love – sonically and otherwise – with Ally (Gaga) as she sings “La Vie en Rose.” A hotel waitress who hates her job, men and the music industry (not necessarily in that order), Ally is secretly a heck of a songwriter but shy about it, though Jack tells her she has “something to say and a way to say it so people listen to it.” He invites Ally to a show, then pulls her on the stage to sing the ultracatchy “Shallow,” which she wrote partly with Jack in mind. What’s a potentially corny sequence is instead a truly exhilarating, goosebump-inducing knockout moment. The first hour of a “A Star Is Born” is especially satisfying, with Ally becoming a viral hit and each acting as the other’s muse. But the downward spiral strikes like a dissonant chord: Jack struggles with alcoholism and hearing loss from tinnitus, while Ally quickly finds A-list fame as a mainstream pop star (she pretty much becomes Lady Gaga), disappointing musical purist Jack and driving a wedge between them. “A Star Is Born,” a no-brainer for a best-picture nomination with strong Oscar contenders for best actor and actress, is most noteworthy for its two stars reborn. Stripped down and vulnerable, Gaga proves she’s as much an acting powerhouse as she is a musical standout. Meanwhile, Cooper turns in his best performance as a growling, flawed superstar who’s the beating heart of the film.

CLAY ENOS Ally (Lady Gaga) and Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) wow an audience in “A Star Is Born.”