A Star Is Born
Original post date: 5 March 2019
Rating: ✭✭✰✰
This movie is so much better than it has any right to be. It has been done so many times now (as What Price Hollywood? in 1932 and with this same title in 1937, 1954 and 1976) the story is not even well-worn anymore. It’s just worn. Still, there is something timeless about the tale of one star wobbling at his zenith just before his upcoming rapid descent while connecting with a young woman about to begin her upward trajectory. As played in this version, it almost seems as if Bradley Cooper’s self-destructive country rocker senses his impending doom (there a couple of unsubtle early shots of nooses on a billboard) and reaches out to pass his luck on to someone deserving while there is still time. In addition to being a familiar story, this always ran the risk of being a vanity project with Cooper not only starring but also directing and co-writing the screenplay (with Eric Roth and Will Fetters). For an actor, a talented, charming, downspinning alcoholic character is like an injured antelope for a leopard. He’s going to feed and make the most of every morsel. At 2¼ hours (2½ in the extended version) the flick milks every soap opera moment for more than it’s worth. Still, though verging on self-indulgent, Cooper is winning in a role that is achingly familiar to anyone who has been close to a charismatic dipsomaniac—so much so that it is, at times, painful to watch. Lady Gaga’s challenge is to be convincing as a starstruck woman with little confidence, and one gets the feeling this is not as difficult a challenge for her as some of us might assume. Cooper’s amiable rocker—complete with lowered voice register to match his on-screen brother Sam Elliott—and Gaga’s obsession with her nose seem calculated to evoke memories of the 1976 Kristofferson/Streisand version. This makes an interesting contrast with fellow Oscar contender Bohemian Rhapsody. Both telling much the same story, the two movies could not be more different. The Freddie Mercury biopic turns his dramatic last stand into a triumph that celebrates the music. This movie about a fictional performer actually looks and feels much more real, but inevitably leads us into despair.
Rating: ✭✭✰✰
This movie is so much better than it has any right to be. It has been done so many times now (as What Price Hollywood? in 1932 and with this same title in 1937, 1954 and 1976) the story is not even well-worn anymore. It’s just worn. Still, there is something timeless about the tale of one star wobbling at his zenith just before his upcoming rapid descent while connecting with a young woman about to begin her upward trajectory. As played in this version, it almost seems as if Bradley Cooper’s self-destructive country rocker senses his impending doom (there a couple of unsubtle early shots of nooses on a billboard) and reaches out to pass his luck on to someone deserving while there is still time. In addition to being a familiar story, this always ran the risk of being a vanity project with Cooper not only starring but also directing and co-writing the screenplay (with Eric Roth and Will Fetters). For an actor, a talented, charming, downspinning alcoholic character is like an injured antelope for a leopard. He’s going to feed and make the most of every morsel. At 2¼ hours (2½ in the extended version) the flick milks every soap opera moment for more than it’s worth. Still, though verging on self-indulgent, Cooper is winning in a role that is achingly familiar to anyone who has been close to a charismatic dipsomaniac—so much so that it is, at times, painful to watch. Lady Gaga’s challenge is to be convincing as a starstruck woman with little confidence, and one gets the feeling this is not as difficult a challenge for her as some of us might assume. Cooper’s amiable rocker—complete with lowered voice register to match his on-screen brother Sam Elliott—and Gaga’s obsession with her nose seem calculated to evoke memories of the 1976 Kristofferson/Streisand version. This makes an interesting contrast with fellow Oscar contender Bohemian Rhapsody. Both telling much the same story, the two movies could not be more different. The Freddie Mercury biopic turns his dramatic last stand into a triumph that celebrates the music. This movie about a fictional performer actually looks and feels much more real, but inevitably leads us into despair.
Comments
Post a Comment