The most overhyped film of 2018- a HUGE disappointment
SPOILERS!
For all the press releases, trailers, Gaga fans and the time it took to get a fourth version of this story done- I must say this one really sinks. For a 2 1/2 hour film, it feels rushed, choppy, unfocused and forced. The love story barely exists because the screenplay is more focused on concert scenes and Cooper's demise then the actual joy these two are allegedly supposed to share. The thing that made George Cuckor's A Star is Born so wonderful was James Mason and Judy Garland FEEL for each other. There is a distinct connection between them, and the build up to Mason's death (a haunting walk into the ocean while his wife sings in the kitchen) is tragic.
Bradley Cooper stars as an alcoholic country singer who plucks Gaga from a Drag show performance and insists she get on stage and sing with him one night. Of course it all goes well, and before we know it Gaga is winning Grammys and has a music manager with - surprise- a crude American Idol British accent! What is it with Hollywood wanting all music execs to look like Jude Law and talk with UK voices (go back to 1992; even Whitney Houston's manager was an annoying Brit in The Bodyguard).
How was Lady Gaga nominated for Best Actress? She's not bad, but she certainly isn't a top 5 of the year. The academy chose to overlook the likes of Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place), Toni Collette (Hereditary), Nicole Kidman (Destroyer) and Viola Davis (Widows) for a pop star turned actress. Why couldn't they have nominated Jennifer Lopez in Selena (1997) or Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice (1993)? Both those movies were not perfect, but the performances from the music pop stars far outshine Gaga's adequate at best line readings. Lopez albeit started as an actor first, but still. She portrays the late Mexican singer with humility and charm, and she doesn't over indulge. Jackson, alike, was def a singer before doing the late John Singleton's follow up to Boyz n the Hood (1991); Poetic Justice (1993) starred Jackson and Tupac Shakur (and Oscar winner Regina King) on a road trip character study, and I loved Janet's restrained yet believable performance as a woman dealing with the grief of her dead boyfriend and anger towards gang violence in general, which she reflects in poetry she writes.
Back to ASIB- I can say the only Oscar worthy nominees were the cinematography and "Shallow", which was well performed by Gaga and Cooper at the Academy Awards. But even Cooper, who was exceptional in American Sniper and Silver Linings Playbook, suffers here with mumbling 90% of his lines and not being likable at all. His alcoholism/drug addiction is tiresome, and his jealousy towards Gaga's rising fame comes off cruel vs heartbreaking. Then there's Oscar nominee Sam Elliot, who also seems lost in translation, and who has a character I couldn't get into.
I can see why another musical, Bohemian Rhapsody, stole A Star is Born's awards thunder, and rightly fully so; Rami Malek breaths his role and is immersed in his universe. Bradley Cooper breaths, but mostly because he's falling over drunk a lot. The Grammy awards were a hot laugh; in the 1954 version it's the Oscars and Mason drunkenly slaps Garland in the middle of her speech. It's much more convincing then the perverse scene with Bradley- erm- relieving himself on stage. For a movie set in modern times, I saw no Twitter, Facebook, iPhones or ANY sign of social media which would have eaten him alive for that stunt alone. Gaga meanwhile writes with a pen and paper in her journals when in reality she'd have a MacBook Air, or if she's struggling- a Sony Vaio.
The worst part of the movie is definitely the screenplay, who's included credited team is Cooper himself and Oscar winner Eric Roth (who won for adapting Forrest Gump). How the voters fell for this one is probably because they saw A Star is Born on their nomination ballots and simply checked it off because "We'll watch it later when it comes out on Prime. It has to be good. All the fanboys are saying so." Thank God this missed the Editing nomination. That was also a travesty.
If you're someone who is just turning 19 or a first year film student, this might be a nice beginning to learn what an ABC love story is like. But if you're flourished already with the first three superior versions (yep even Barbra's) of the tale plus countless pop stars turning actor, pass this one up and rent Selena (1997)- or better yet, 8 Mile (2002) with Eminem. He plays himself too, but at least it's believable. Lady Gaga seems like she's acting in one of her music videos that's been extended to 129 minutes. And the botox is very distracting.
FINAL GRADE: D-