A Star Is Born | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I'm currently sitting on a bus listening to the soundtrack to this film, so I thought it was only fitting to write the review.

The film is about a man called Jackson Maine. He's a rockstar in the prime of his career. He's moving from strength to strength and doing so well that no one cares that he's an alcoholic. One night at a bar, he meets Ally - a girl with an astounding voice, who thinks that she won't get anywhere because her nose is 'too big' and she doesn't look like a star. However, Jackson sees something in her that no one else does - something that makes him pull her up on stage during one of his gigs (to sing my favourite song, 'Shallow') and from there, everything changes. Ally is caterpaulted into the spotlight, and her budding relationship with Jackson takes a backseat as her career takes center stage. But how will Jackson handle Ally's newfound stardom?

This is an incredible movie. I saw it on Monday and I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack because the songs tell such an important story in and of themselves.

This is a remake of a film that has been made three times previously, but even with that history, it is entirely possible that a lot of people in my generation haven't come into contact with the previous versions. Because of that, this came across as something completely fresh and new. The songs are original, the characters are different and I'm sure the story is a new take on the originals.

The acting in this film is definitely something that makes it stand out. I've been a fan of Bradley Cooper (who plays Jackson Maine) for a while, but I've mostly seen him in comedic roles, such as 'The Hangover' and 'He's Just Not That Into You'. This one was a very dramatic role in every sense, and he was honestly phenomenal in it.

And then there's Lady Gaga, who is widely known as a musician, though she has also done quite a bit of TV acting. However, this was her film acting debut and she did an incredible job with it. So much so that she was completely unrecognisable as her 'Lady Gaga' persona, and you could never have guessed that she'd never made a movie before.

And of course, we have to talk about the music. Obviously Lady Gaga is an amazing singer. This has been known this for years, and this movie only confirms that fact.
But Bradley Cooper was a total surprise! He's not known as a singer in any sense, so it would be easy to assume that his character wouldn't sing that much, or that it wouldn't really be him singing. But his character sings a lot, and it actually is him singing! His voice is amazing, and he totally holds his own against someone as talented and professional as Lady Gaga!

The songs themselves are incredible. The ones I'd recommend listening to immediately are 'Shallow', 'Black Eyes', 'I Don't Know What Love Is', 'I'll Never Love Again', 'Is That Alright' and 'Always Remember Us This Way' - but take a listen to the whole album because it's incredible!

And then there's the ending, which in turn ties the whole film together. Without giving anything away, the whole story is heartrenching. There are so many aspects that lead to how it ends. And by the time it finishes, you're so invested in these two people that everything hurts you as much as it hurts them.

But overall, it's amazing. Amazingly directed by Bradley Cooper, amazingly written, amazingly acted, everything about this movie is amazing, and I can't wait to go and see it again!

Lou