A Star is Born
"A Star is Born" has one of those powerful messages that you carry with you long after the credits have rolled and you've walked out of the theater. I saw it Friday night and I have not stopped thinking about it since.
It's the quintessential story of a rising star and the parallel of one on the demise. The two fall in love with the help of their passion and love for music.
It is beautiful.
It is heartbreaking.
It is cinematic genius.
Brilliantly written.
The soundtrack is so eloquent, classic and covers every genre, while still being original. It also happens to be written by some of the best songwriters in Nashville, including Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna. If you haven't heard some of their hits on the radio, do yourself a favor and Google some of those.
Directed with such grit and heart by Bradley Cooper. The way only someone who understands this business can.
Cooper and Gaga's chemistry is undeniable, something they know themselves.
It makes you feel things you didn't know you had inside of you.
There are struggles. Jackson is an alcoholic and Ali is an aspiring musician. They meet and that's that. They need each other in their own ways.
I would say the only fault I can find is the way it feels like his addiction is still somewhat glamorized, and that we as the audience are supposed to go along with it, because he's nice to look at. Everyone says "#relationshipgoals" about them on Twitter and Instagram. But, are they really? He had a serious problem. Yes, they loved each other fiercely and supported each other, almost to a fault. I'm glad she tried to stay and help him. Yet, he had a very real struggle. Should she have stayed with him as long as she did? His addiction is not romantic and I think sometimes "Hollywood" tends to push that towards the audience, where it feels like we're supposed to root for it.
This is also coming from someone who has never really known anyone who has struggled with alcoholism and what that means to a family or a significant other, so I can't say that I know what that position is like.
All in all, it was still done very tastefully and honestly.
I was never Bradley Cooper fan. I hadn't seen much of his work, but I had this idea that he played all of the same characters...Pretty boys who party. Maybe, because he's best known for his role in "The Hangover?" and I haven't even seen that. After seeing this movie and watching other interviews about this film in particular, I have completely changed my mind about him. Contrary to my belief, I feel like he's a lot more in tune with his characters and the stories than I originally thought.
This movie has set him up to do just about whatever he wants. He can do another love story, he could move to action, he can do dark dramas and we already know he can do comedies. Who knew Bradley can also sing?
LADY GAGA FOR ALL OF THE AWARDS. ALL OF THEM. The rawness that she displays in her role as Ali is so refreshing and so very different than the "characters" we've seen her play onstage. She makes this character so relatable to the audience. We'd all love to be picked from obscurity and fall in love with the one of the world's most famous musicians. Gaga's vocals are astounding and she can literally sing rounds around many people in the music industry and she can act, too.It almost didn't feel much like acting as it was Stephanie being her honest self, and that is a job well done. I was blown away by her.
Like I said, I have been thinking about this movie nonstop and listening to the soundtrack. It's beautiful and rips my heart out of my chest with every song, but it's just too hard to turn away. I now understand the hype and will now be watching all of Bradley Cooper's other movies and listening to Lady Gaga's music for the duration of my Thanksgiving break.
That's all for now,
Shelby