The Heart and Soul of A Star Is Born

Orson Welles, meet Bradley Cooper. Think I'm exaggerating? Well, think again. Because with A Star Is Born, Cooper has achieved a simply staggering directorial debut that is one of the most genuine, engaging and heartstring-tugging motion pictures I’ve seen in a long time. A Star Is Born opened back in early October, and am I ever glad I managed to catch it in theaters while it’s still connecting with audiences (it’s still in the top 10) – and does it ever connect. Cooper redefines himself here like few performers ever do, not just directing, not just starring, but also co-writing the screenplay and half the songs, having worked for two years with Lukas Nelson (son of Willie) learning to play guitar and be utterly convincing as a musician and songwriter. The energy on display is nothing short of electric. 

Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country-fried rock guitar player who seems part Neil Young, part Eddie Vedder, by way of Greg Allman. Music is Jack's life, but his boss is alcohol. He's coasting through life in a foggy bubble when he drifts into a random post-gig bar and hears a singer's voice that stops him in his tracks and clears away the mist. Ally (Lady Gaga) is still waiting tables, but she's got a gift. Jack's never seen anyone quite like her, and the charisma of their mutual discovery is something to behold. Part of the film's magic is the gradual unwinding of the plot as lives intersect and change, so I say we forgo too many details and let you uncover them yourself. 

Lady Gaga is a revelation. I was amazed at her work here, and the layers of her performance. Her Ally is a woman with power who's seldom been taken seriously, suddenly finding herself on the threshold of unlimited possibilities. Gaga wrote much of the film's music as well, and the film's performances feel natural and often improvised at times. There's an incredible authenticity to A Star Is Born, from the atmosphere on stage, to the way intimate conversations unfold, that pulls you in and powerfully invests you in these people's lives and relationships. The supporting roles are phenomenal, with unexpected heart from Andrew Dice Clay, a long absent Dave Chappelle, and likely Best Supporting Actor winner Sam Elliott. All turn in superlative, naturalistic performances. Cooper's style as a director echoes the deceptively low key approach of Robert Altman, with a weight to the character-building and performances that both hypnotizes and haunts. 

  

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Straight Outta Compton, Black Swan, Iron Man) brings a seventies California shadows vibe to his images. Made for a modest $36 million, A Star Is Born is incredibly well shot, with a screenplay by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) that gives rich new life to a story that's been told before more than once. It feels fresh and immediate. You should know that Roth and Cooper don't flinch when it comes to showing how brutal and damaging addiction can be. Audience members coping with trauma and addiction themselves may want to tread carefully, and should go with someone who cares, who's willing to talk. It's one of the most painful portrayals of how fragile we can feel when navigating the rocky shoals between the past and future. 

I'll be heavily, heavily rooting for Cooper on Oscar night, in more than one category - but what truly blew me away was the strength of the music these people created together. Original movie songs can feel taped together and stilted, but these songs feel like they've been well-loved and around for a while, with more than one instant classic that should start clearing some shelf space for itself. You can fall hard for people, but you can also fall for movies, and A Star Is Born has me in complete surrender. The heart and soul exhibited by all involved here leave no doubt this is one of the best pictures to come down the road in a long, long time. Very highly recommended.