A Star Is Born movie review

Movie Title: A STAR IS BORN You can purchase your copy with this link: Star Is Born, A (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

Grade: A

Rating: R, 2 hours 15 minutes

In a Nutshell: This lovely remake is just as good as the beloved A Star Is Born (1976) with Barbra Streisand and Chris Christopherson, and even better. Hollywood seems to be pumping out a lot of remakes lately, usually not as good as the original, but this film is something no one saw coming. It’s really good. Did you know this is actually the 4th version? In the Star Is Born (1954) version with Judy Garland and James Mason, each one of them won a Golden Globe for their roles! The first film was A Star Is Born (1937) .

This is Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut! How talented and handsome can one man be? We all knew Lady Gaga had incredible pipes, but she gives an extremely impressive acting performance too. The word “Oscar” is even being used by fans and critics for both actors. They have great chemistry together and you disappear in their story.

Tips for parents:

TONS of F-bombs and other profanity.
Drag bar with lots of transvestites.
Lots of flesh and cleavage.
Fist fight in a bar. Ally (Lady Gaga) punches a man.
Pre-marital relations.
Some violence.
A man gets a shot in his rear end with a needle.
Lots of alcohol and drugs. A man goes to rehab.
You see Lady Gaga topless from the side and then full frontal nudity for a split second in a bathtub.
Suicide.

Uplifting theme:

Love
Sharing your unique voice with the world.
Forgiveness.
Second chances.
Believe in yourself.
Rise and fall

Things I liked:

It was awesome to see Lady Gaga so vulnerable, soulful, and raw.
I never knew Bradley Cooper could sing! In several interviews I watched, he said it was much more difficult than he ever thought it would be. Lady Gaga insisted they sing live, because she hates watching singing movies when the lips don’t quite match the song. Some of the scenes were actually filmed at the Coachella Festival in 2017, as well as other music festivals around the country.
The A Star is Born (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is going to be awesome. All of the music is original for this film. I really liked the song Shallow . The song that ends the movie left the audience I sat with completely speechless. They didn’t want to leave the theater and sat motionless while the credits rolled. Lady Gaga wrote and produced all of the songs.
Willie Nelson’s son taught Bradley how to play the guitar for this movie. Wow, can he shred in this movie! By the way, I have a son named Bradley and another son named Cooper!
Comedians Dave Chapelle and Andrew Dice Clay are great additions to the talented cast. You get to see a new, dramatic side of both of them.
The dog in the movie is actually Bradley Cooper’s real dog. Awww.
Quick cameo of Alec Baldwin and Brandi Carlile, playing themselves.

Things I didn’t like:

I hate watching people get drunk, take drugs, and sink into the gutter, even if it’s just pretend in the movies.
Sam Elliott plays a crusty, older brother. He does a great job, but sometimes I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Funny lines:

“What do you want me to play?” – Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper)

“I don’t care. Just look at me while you do it.” – Transvestite in the drag bar

“Be careful. She’ll hit you.” – Jack talking about Ally to a cashier in the store
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone, but I’m not good at keeping secrets.” – Jack
“What’s an algorithm?” – Wolfie (Michael Harney)

“A beat.” – Matty (Michael D. Roberts)

Interesting lines:

“Tell ‘em what you want to say, ‘cuz how you say it is the stuff of angels.” – Jack
“All the artist can offer is how he sees 12 little notes.” – Bobby (Sam Elliott)

Fun facts:

Bradley Cooper’s character has a tattoo on his inner right arm. It’s an image that was made famous in WWII called Kilroy. Soldiers painted the character all over the world, writing “Kilroy was here” to give each other hope and a laugh.
Bradley Cooper’s character also has Tinnitus. My father-in-law had it and my husband is starting to show signs of it as well. As of now, there is no cure; people just have to manage it, like in the movie.
Bradley Cooper doesn’t have any social media accounts. Hard to believe, right?

IF you haven’t seen the earlier versions of A Star is Born you can watch them by clicking on these links: