Over the weekend, I went to go see A Star Is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The film, the fourth remake of this film, was Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, which makes the film even more impressive as a whole. Every part of the movie flows perfectly, retelling an amazing story with a fresh twist. Bradley Cooper is the jack of all trades in this movie, being the director, one of the stars, and also giving a good singing performance throughout as Jackson Maine, a rock star whose career is in a downward spiral who meets Ally (Lady Gaga), an aspiring artist who lacks the confidence to take the next step. *Graphic topic ahead* As much as the film focuses on Ally's rise to stardom, there is a focus on Jack's descent, leading finally to his suicide in the final act of the film. The scene is not graphic, but it is extremely deep and is visually amazing in so many ways. The color symbolism of a shot that shows that the police have arrived at Jack's house shifts between a red, a color in many scenes in the film including the first time Jack and Ally meet, to blue, to reflect the emotions that drove Jack to do what he did. The silence, on top of this, makes this scene an extremely emotional one. The film as a whole deals with Jack's abuse of alcohol and drugs, and even after two months of rehab, Jack couldn't escape his demons and gave in despite his live with Ally, essentially leaving the film on a harrowing note. The film does focus on the topic of substance abuse, but addresses conformity in the music industry and what it really takes for an artist to spread their message through music. Through the sad portions of the film, it aspires to inspire young artists to pave their way through the industry by being themselves and spreading their own messages.
Even though I did not originally plan on seeing this film, I am so glad that I decided to. It is an extremely deep film, dealing with a lot of different issues that sprout out of Jack and Ally's relationship. Even if they are both famous music artists, the messages that come from their story stay relatable. On top of this, the acting and singing is amazing. Bradley Cooper shows that he is great in a musical setting, while Lady Gaga shows her acting chops in a role that can very well end up winning the Oscar for Best Actress. As I mentioned before, this is the fourth retelling of this story, and after watching clips from each of the others after seeing the newest iteration, I believe that this is the best version made to date. A big portion of this is the soundtrack, which is completely original and written by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Fitting with the theme of the film, a lot of the songs deal with Ally's rise to fame, taking that leap, and also reflect Jack's final moments in a positive light before his career dive bombs, leading to a wide range of emotions that enhance the film greatly.
I can very easily put this film in the Good Good category, and I hope to see it win big at the Oscars this year, it deserves nothing less.
Nice review, Zach! Some students struggle to keep their objective parts from being subjective, but you've got a touch of the opposite coming in here. Bring yourself into that second paragraph a little bit more-- keep in mind that you can evaluate the entire viewing experience (surprises and beyond) of the film. Great use of tone throughout, which shows how positively you thought of this film. Well argued and nice use of specific scenes/details/choices (esp. the color change).
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