A Star Is Born (2018)
[Reader disclaimer: there will be spoilers discussed. This piece also contains material of a sensitive nature].
And now onto one of the more surprising nominees on our list this week: A Star Is Born (2018). I have seen so much damn hype about this film and I couldn't for the life of me bring myself to sit down and watch it until, one night during the week, I conceded defeat and allowed myself to watch with an open mind.
I will say this: Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have amazing vocals throughout this film, Gaga especially. Some of the songs were hair-raising due to Gaga's exceptional range (though that was to be expected). I even enjoyed the introduction of her character, conveying a kind of manic yet controlled woman who expresses herself through drag clubs and isn't afraid to pull a punch (a scene in which her character, Ally, clocks a dude in the jaw was top tier comedy and no one can change my mind on that). However, on the flipside, the introduction to Jackson (played by Cooper) felt like a heavy-handed slap to the face, immediately jumping to the washed-up rocker cliche, a trope we've seen a million times.
Jackson's character is more in-depth than that later on, as we see that he is an ACOA (Adult Child of an Alcoholic) who is suffering from alcoholism and depression himself. I found this aspect of his character to be very realistic and the sequence in the third act in which he commits suicide is so hauntingly powerful due to its lack of diegetic sound and parallels with an earlier anecdote in which his character explains that he previously attempted suicide at the age of 13 by hanging.
The end of the film felt particularly poignant, with Ally returning to her natural hair colour (a nod to her returning to her roots, no pun intended) and singing a heartbreaking song to honour Jackson's character. The third act, overall, undoubtedly yanks at your heartstrings and refuses to let go until you've coughed up at least one stray tear.
However. That is the third act. As for the first two, I have to say that there were elements that just didn't meet the mark for me.
For example, the initial interaction between Jackson and Ally (and then the subsequent interactions after that) felt horribly awkward in places, with characters stepping on each other's lines and sometimes forgetting or refusing to make eye contact where deemed necessary: I think this may have been Cooper's attempt at realism but I just found it distracting. I would go as far as to say that the dialogue is enjoyable but clumsily executed for the most part.
Ally's character also gave me food for thought because, despite being wonderfully fleshed out and well written, she takes a complete U-turn in dealing with Jackson, cutting between scenes of initially coming to terms with the fact that he's an alcoholic and then shots of her almost enabling him, indulging in his stupid behaviour as if they're children. If this is character development, then I'd say it felt insincere and an injustice to her character.
I wouldn't say that A Star Is Born is a necessarily bad film: on the contrary, I found myself surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The thing is, and I may be shot for saying this, it feels as if A Star Is Born is this year's La La Land (2016): united by passion of music, divided by creative ambition and personal demons. What I mean to say is, this didn't feel particularly original in terms of story (although I suppose it wouldn't be, considering it's a remake...of a remake...of a remake...and so on).
What's it nominated for?
Currently, A Star Is Born is nominated for:
- Best Picture - Bradley Cooper, Bill Gerber and Lynette Howell Taylor
- Best Actor - Bradley Cooper
- Best Actress - Lady Gaga
- Best Supporting Actor - Sam Elliott
- Best Adapted Screenplay - Bradley Cooper, Eric Roth and Will Fetters
- Best Cinematography - Matthew Libatique
- Best Sound Mixing - Steve A. Morrow, Jason Ruder, Dean Zupancic and Tom Ozanich
- Best Original Song - Shallow - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Should it win?
Again, in terms of Best Picture, no. In comparison, it just doesn't meet the standard, in this writer's opinion. That's not to say that it isn't a good film with some exceptionally beautiful moments in it, but I doubt it'll win Best Picture.
I also highly doubt that Bradley Cooper will win Best Actor, either: the drawl he created for his character in this film felt akin to Jeff Bridges in True Grit (2010), that is to say, I could barely fucking understand him for the majority of this film.
In lending her vocals to this feature film, Gaga has most certainly ensured that it'll win at least one award, though, and I believe that'll be Best Original Song, as it's one of the film's greatest assets.
Overall rating: 7/10
- K
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