A Star is Born
Director: Brad Cooper (a fellow Hoya!)
Stars: Brad Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott
7/10
Not sure why I wanted to see this. Big movies seldom appeal to me anymore. But it was free on Amazon. It’s the story of a worn-out country/rock star who comes upon a young aspiring singer-songwriter. He launches her career, she rises to stardom, and the two marry. Things don’t go well after that. Throughout, the two interact exceptionally well. Conversations come across as natural and spontaneous. Perhaps there was some ad-libbing.
Lady Gaga is very impressive as the rising star and Cooper is the same as the self-destructive older man. The film moves along well and has remarkable lighting and settings. Many of the musical performances are done live which of course must have been easier for her than him. Nonetheless, Cooper sings well and plays a neat Gibson 335. Their talent gives life to an old story.
Sam Elliott plays Cooper’s brother/manager and is stellar. On looking up who played Lady Gaga’s father I was surprised to see it was Andrew Dice Clay.
I might have liked the film more if everything hadn’t been fairly predictable. I suppose that’s to be expected from a film that’s been made three times before, but I’ve never seen any of the previous versions.
© 2019 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs. Thanks as ever to Susan Ganosellis.