Two stars shine in this familiar tale of love
A STAR IS BORN Direction: Bradley Cooper Actors: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper Rating:
She’s a multiple-Grammy-winning pop diva. But does Lady Gaga have the dramatic range to portray the complex character alluded to in the title? Likewise, can actor Bradley Cooper, a three-time Oscar nominee, marshal his storytelling skills to fashion a notable directorial debut?
Happily the answer to both these questions is a resounding yes. The story of the often-filmed bittersweet romance is familiar. An aspiring young songstress (Lady Gaga) pulls out all the stops as her career blossoms under the mentorship of an ageing, alcoholic Countryand-Western rocker (Bradley Cooper). Next, the harddrinking superstar’s career rapidly nosedives even as his protégé rockets to stardom.
Not surprisingly, the couple’s tumultuous relationship suffers a further setback with the love of her life fighting an ongoing battle with addiction, depression and a self-destructive streak. Despite her inevitable sellout to the soul-sapping music industry, their love remains constant to the very end.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper share sizzling on-screen chemistry apart from performing most of their songs live on camera.
An emotional rollercoaster, the updated A Star Is Born heralds the birth of two major entertainers: actorwriter-director-singer Bradley Cooper and the truly astonishing Lady Gaga.