Above all, the true showstopper of the film are the musical numbers that will ultimately win you over.
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Bradley Cooper’s remake of ‘A Star Is Born’ is the fourth iteration since the original romantic film in 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March; followed by 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason; and 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Now, pop icon Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper carry on its legacy with a triumphant take on love, music and dreams. This also marks Cooper’s directorial debut and Gaga’s first lead role in a feature film.
Bradley Cooper stars as Jackson Maine, a drug and alcohol addict rock star who doesn’t start his performances without being sober. One fateful night after a concert, he had his driver pull over to a bar when he went out of booze. Unknowingly, he stepped inside a drag bar which was about to present their star singer in non-drag - Ally,(Lady Gaga) who performs a beautiful rendition of Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’, which caught the attention of Maine. Impressed by her vocals, he invites her to a backstage view of his performance. There, he managed to get her up on stage with him for a duet of an original song that she shared privately with him. The audience couldn’t love her more.
Ally has always wanted to pursue a career as a singer, but due to the rejections she’d heard about her physical appearance, she almost gave up on her dreams. To be given an opportunity from a talent manager Rez (Rafi Gavron) to realise her dream, Ally jumps at the opportunity and blew up very quickly, even earning her a Grammy award as the year’s Best New Artist. As her boyfriend is a superstar in his own rights, Maine mentors and motivates her in taking the leap in her newfound fame as a pop idol. Though proud of her achievements, Maine struggles in his own music career, and his addiction to alcohol and drugs which not only affects his career but their relationship as well.
Lady Gaga won a Golden Globe in 2016 for her work in American Horror Story - Hotel, so it's pretty damning to think that many people didn’t believe in her when Cooper wanted Gaga as his female lead. It’s safe to say that the triple-threat icon proved all her naysayers wrong, for her performance as the aspiring superstar is both electrifying and intuitive in this melodrama. It also helps that she has tremendously powerful vocals to boot, in addition to the power ballads that she’d written for the film as well.
Many people will recognise Lady Gaga as the eccentric, extraordinary meat-dress pop singer who defined the 21st-century pop culture with songs like ‘Poker Face’, ‘Born This Way’ and ‘Bad Romance’. But in ‘A Star Is Born’, she is stripped of all the outrageous outfits and makeup to reveal the bare version of Lady Gaga we never knew. One thing remains - her impressive vocals that shines through as viewers go on a journey with her character in this beloved rags-to-riches story.
Cooper, on the other hand, has many acting nominations to his name, but as a director, this marks his first film behind the camera. He is able to capture the essence of the characters’ journeys; the struggles of their complicated relationship without overshadowing the melodic tracks that drive the film's narrative.
A Star Is Born takes you on a ride of hopes, dreams and romance, with a powerful message on addiction. Above all, the true showstopper of the film are the musical numbers that will ultimately win you over.
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