A Star is Born Movie Review

A Star is Born (2018)

Rent A Star is Born on Amazon Video
Written by: Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters (screenplay by), Moss Hart (based on the 1954 screenplay by), John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson (based on the 1976 screenplay by), William A. Wellman and Robert Carson (based on a story by)
Directed by: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Alec Baldwin
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A musician helps a young singer find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Verdict
I wonder what this movie is ultimately saying which is ironic for a movie that preaches having your own voice. It alludes to conforming to what's popular to gain success, the self destruction that follows being a star, and that's wrapped up in this relationship between Jack and Ally that's part jealousy. It's uneven at times, but it raises a lot of interesting questions. I don't like the ending, and the lack of context made me wonder how famous Ally really was. That and at times this seems to be a statement on how hard famous people's lives are, which is a hard sell. Does it have it's moments? Yes, but this could have been much more.
It depends.

Review
The beginning is uneven, moving very fast from Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) discovering Ally (Lady Gaga) in a small bar to them starting a relationship. I wasn't sure who this movie was about. It seems mostly about Jackson and the destructive path he's already on. The big question is, did Ally curb his impulses or exacerbate them? He's definitely jealous of her fame at points.

Maybe this movie is about about fame's self destructive power. Ally seems to lose who she is. Her songs became much more pop, a contrast to the early songs that impressed Jackson, though we never see that transition. I never had a context for how famous Ally became. I didn't know if she was headlining a tour or was merely an opening act. Ally and Jackson have a weird relationship and the movie never touches on the predatory nature of how many celebrity men use their fame to prey on women and girls. Jackson assumes Ally will follow him wherever after their first encounter, leading me to believe he's done that before. Most girls would follow him anywhere at the promise of fame. Many times those same girls are exploited and abandoned.

As Ally's star rises, Jackson's ebbs. When her fame first began, with the first time she walked on stage, that was an amazing moment. We knew what was running through her head and we saw her decide to go for it. I wish the movie had more moments like this.

Is this movie a plea for celebrities and how difficult their lives are with people clamoring after them? This could be a cautionary tale about fame, but those same cautions come from a drunk Jackson that is lashing out due to his own insecurities. Is fame destructive? Does it change who you are?

The ending makes Ally's manager a bad guy for the sake of the plot. I won't spoil the ending, but the manager wouldn't have done as depicted in the movie. The result is extreme, and the ending I hoped for is the ending from the 1976 rendition. I didn't realize that until I looked it up to compare how this movie was done before.

There are a lot of questions in this movie, and it should have answered more of them. The performances are great and the production is great. I am surprised Shallow is the main song from this, there were a couple I liked more.
Part of the draw for this movie is living vicariously through Ally. She's discovered by accident, and despite her perceived shortcomings she has what it takes to succeed. It's a rags to riches story with more than a few cautions thrown in.