A Star is Born - Film Review

‘A Star is Born’ is directed by Bradley Cooper and stars himself, Lady Gaga, and Sam Elliot and is the story of a famous musician who helps a young singer find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral. Bradley Cooper knocks it out of the park as his first directorial film. The camera seamlessly melds into each scene and feels like you’re watching real life events happening. His acting is also superb, as you can really see his alcoholism eat away at his life. Lady Gaga is incredible here with a role that is tailor made for her. But along with her voice, which is amazing, and the scenes with her singing leapt off the screen completely. Sam Elliot as Coopers brother in the film is just insanely good. Every scene with him is so subtle but extremely memorable. The direction of each scene is vibrant and beautiful to look at. In particular the performance sequences on stage which flowed with a sense of urgency and dazzling with colours. All the original music is great also and it’s rock/pop style is shown fully through each stage sequence. The emotional beats pay off completely in the film, especially one in particular toward the end of the film which beautifully wrapped up the heart wrenching story. The biggest praise that can be given to ‘A Star is Born’ is the acting across the board. It feels completely real. The dialogue feels tangible with each character and the authenticity of each scene that plays out is magnificent. As for flaws, occasionally the film doesn’t flow particularly consistently. It stops and starts often and the pace of the film can at times drag. That is a relatively minor flaw, and barely detracts from the overall brilliance of this film. ‘A Star is Born’ is an incredibly acted, gorgeously directed and tangibly written film with authentic characters and performances that are so subtle yet massively memorable. ‘A Star is Born’ - 86%