Movie Review – “A Star Is Born” 4.0
How many times can you remake the same movie and it still be good? If it’s a classic story told with passion, is well-acted and directed, and expertly updated for the modern context, the answer would be at least four. Some stories are so good the first time, they just need a fresh coat of paint every few decades to keep going instead of endless strings of sequels. Some stories are so timeless, telling them anew is still often better than composing an entirely new one. And if you’re afraid how your remake will be judged by history, make sure yours is the definitive version of the franchise, which producer, director, co-writer, and lead actor Bradley Cooper has done here.
A Star Is Born is a big moment for Americana music. After you see Bradley Cooper’s star character Jackson Maine as the movie opens, the next person appearing on the screen is Lukas Nelson. Willie Nelson’s son and his band Promise of the Real appear as Jackson Maine’s backing band throughout the movie, though they don’t carry any speaking parts. Lukas Nelson became the primary musical consultant for the film, co-writing six of the film’s songs, as well as producing most of the soundtrack. One of the signature songs from the film is called “Maybe It’s Time,” which is superbly written by Jason Isbell. Brandi Carlile receives a pretty big moment in the film, and a keen eye will see cameos by people such as Don Was and others. Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna also receive songwriter credits in the soundtrack.
In previous eras, a film such as this might launch hit songs and musical superstars, especially for how well it has been received. But the fractured nature of popular culture these days unfortunately means this is unlikely going to be the case aside for the already-established Lady Gaga. Don’t expect Lukas Nelson and Jason Isbell to become household names over A Star Is Born, though they will likely get a boost in name recognition outside of Americana circles. The soundtrack can’t even be considered for the Grammy Awards this year due to being released too late in the season. But rest assured, one or some of the original songs from the film will compete for Best Original Song at the Oscars.
A Star Is Born also contains some other culturally significant threads to the musical realm. Though some plot overviews paint main character Jackson Maine as a country star, this is not entirely accurate, or what producer and director Bradley Cooper had in mind. Jackson Maine is more of a roots rock character—a guitar slinger and songwriter, very similar to what Lukas Nelson does, who directly inspired the part when Bradley Cooper saw Nelson performing with Neil Young at the Desert Trip concert on the Coachella grounds in Indio, California in 2016. Kris Kristofferson, who played the lead in the 1976 version of the film, definitely plays into both the poetic mystique and the specific mannerisms Bradley Cooper expertly adopts to bring Jackson Maine to life.
Jackson Maine is a character that is gritty and real, not always singing or playing the prettiest, but always bringing the music straight from the heart and connecting with the audience. In multiple moments in the dialogue from both Bradley Cooper’s and Lady Gaga’s characters, the polished nature of pop music is put down, specifically dance choreography and image that often go hand in hand with the pop realm, and are the antithesis of what’s cool in country rock. Some of the dialogue from Jackson Maine is excellent quote material, working as direct maxims of why authenticity in music is so important. In a music sense, Jackson Maine is the hero.
Meanwhile Lady Gaga’s character Ally is one that suffers folly when she embraces the highly-produced trappings of the pop world, though later blossoms when she rebukes those fallacies and embraces authenticity. In this polarized world, this remake has launched plenty of secondary discussion threads, with pop fans feeling like the film is putting down their world, while other politically-motivated do gooders say it’s damaging to portray the only road to success for a woman is through a man. But the reason A Star Is Born works for a fourth time is because director and lead actor Bradly Cooper was able to see a vision for the story. A Star Is Born is not a rebuke of pop music specifically, it’s a powerful message of the importance of authenticity in music in general, which is something that many pop critics applaud Lady Gaga for in her real life musical career.
In their personal lives, the characters of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are juxtaposed, with Gaga being the even-keeled rock who perseveres, and Bradley being the out-of-control drunk and drug addict—the classic tragic character being saved by and nursed back to health by the love interest. Once again such role casting can run afoul with the politically correct crowd these days, but the reason these roles resonate so deeply is because they’re so true and common.
A Star Is Born is superbly acted and directed. It will be an Oscar contender across the board, especially for Bradley Cooper. Lady Gaga gives nothing up coming to her role as a musical performer first. Sam Elliot plays the same character in every appearance he makes, whether it’s a movie, TV show, stage presentation, or even commercial, and every time his performance only improves. His portrayal of Jackson Maine’s much older half brother Bobby is masterful, and your only wish there were more opportunities for dialogue between the two. Andrew Dice Clay playing Lady Gaga’s father is about the only soft spot. Perhaps partly to blame on the dialog, you never really get to know him or his relationship with his daughter, unlike the strong chemistry that materializes between Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and Cooper and Sam Elliot.
Perhaps a bit more time could have been spent delving deeper into the reasons or behavioral patterns of Jackson Maine’s drinking. Some of the moments of the movie necessitate you suspend disbelief, like the first time Gaga performs on stage with Cooper via a song they drunkenly half wrote the night before in a parking lot. It also remains frustrating how Hollywood still can’t get the live performances of songs correct. Both Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga sing their own parts, but for the cameras, they lip sync to the studio recordings. Generally it’s pretty close, but to the trained eye, it drains the energy from important moments. As Jackson Maine would say, it’s not real and from the heart.
It’s eerie as you watch the film unfold how true the story feels, and timeless it is in every sense of the word, even if you’ve seen the previous incarnations of this story and have a good feel on how it will all end. Whether it’s reading the current headlines about Evan Felker and Miranda Lambert, or citing the dozens of other examples throughout music history, the way music, fame, alcohol, and love intermix to compose an intoxicating and sometimes tragic concoction is eternal, often causing a wreck of life for the ones tasked with navigating the rigors of the human condition in the public spotlight, while they’re often the worst equipped to do so as creative types.
A Star Is Born was worthy of a remake, and constitutes an important moment for roots music and some of it’s most important personalities. While mainstream music culture continues to shoot its gaze over artists such as Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, and so many others, Hollywood sees their value, and has opened up an avenue for intervention into their obscurity. But ultimately this film feels like a moment not primarily for Americana, but for director, producer, and lead actor Bradley Cooper, who takes the romantic muse of music, and brings it to life. Like a good love song, no matter how many times it’s been done before, passion and eternal truths can render its appeal timeless and universal. Bradley Cooper has proven the enduring power of a good love story with A Star Is Born.
November 4, 2018 @ 9:56 am
Nice review and I agree. Do you think mentioning the brother plot point is a bit of a spoiler? It’s kind of a dramatic reveal well into the movie. It was a great scene that benefited from the surprise nature of it IMO.
November 4, 2018 @ 10:13 am
Agreed, I think “manager” would have sufficed.
November 4, 2018 @ 10:55 am
this is a 3.99 rental on Amazon Prime for me. probably good, but not worth going to the theater for.
November 4, 2018 @ 11:25 am
Good review, Trigger. Previously, my only interest in this movie was the soundtrack due to the artists involved, but I’m actually curious about the film itself, now.
November 4, 2018 @ 11:29 am
You got any thoughts on the Blaze movie there Trig? Not a review but a few words maybe. Great review here though. Curious to see this reboot.
November 4, 2018 @ 12:49 pm
Thanks for the reminder I forgot about that one. Good?
November 4, 2018 @ 1:57 pm
Haven’t seen it. The trailers etc looked a bit so-so in my opinion.
November 5, 2018 @ 6:32 am
The Blaze movie is WAY better than A Star is Born.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:00 pm
Reviewing movies is very difficult for me with all the records to review. Then if I start reviewing too many movies, people will start expecting me to review all of them that deal with music. That said, I do hope to review the Blaze movie at some point, and there’s also an independent film called “Buckshot” that I’d like to feature if I ever find the time. These three movies make a really good selection of music films for 2018.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:58 pm
Yeah cool I get that for sure. Il keep an eye out for Buckshot too. Cheers.
November 4, 2018 @ 12:48 pm
Nice review. Just saw it last night. I thought it was well done. One thing I read in other reviews was how personall this was for Cooper. For example casting Dave Chapelle based on their friendship, etc. Didn’t know who wrote the Old Ways song and was wondering because it was decent…. makes sense now. Personally I’ve seen too much Walking Dead so I kept thinking I was watching Rick Grimes as a rock star.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:02 pm
This is Bradley Cooper’s opus, at least up until this point, which feels weird to say about a remake, but it’s true. He put his soul and blood into this movie, and it shows.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:13 pm
Yeah, it had a lot of heart and depth for sure…like you said it felt real. I was cringing during the “award” scene (left vague to avoid a spoiler). I really liked Lady Gaga in it as well, great character and she was pitch perfect.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:25 pm
*Kinda Spoiler Alert*
I’m glad that Cooper added the fact that Jackson suffered from Tinnitus. Tinnitus is usually treated with prescriptions of Xanax or Valium, A lot of Tinnitus sufferers tend to treat it with alcohol before they seek medical help, including myself.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:44 pm
Thank you. Excellent, excellent review and perspective. I had seen all the film versions (was partial to the Garland/Mason one) but this one is the one I recommend now. Saw the film. Immediately downloaded the album. I was trying to explain Cooper’s interpretation to friends but I’m just going to make them read your article. Well done.
November 4, 2018 @ 1:59 pm
It was a good movie but I really had a hard me getting past the scene mentioned where they just barely wrote the song the night before and managed to perform a well produced version of it with few flaws in concert.
November 4, 2018 @ 10:37 pm
Think I read somewhere that there was more to that scene and showed them writing it but they had to shorten it due to time constraints
November 5, 2018 @ 1:46 pm
I had the same problem with that scene, but then I realized that the song was too good and the moment too powerful for me to care. That’s when I knew the movie had me sucked in. From there, all I had to do was enjoy the ride.
November 4, 2018 @ 2:32 pm
This movie was so emotionless and all the big moments were completely unearned. It felt like an 8 hour movie that was whittled down to 2 hours. All the plot points flew by without explanations. 4/10
November 4, 2018 @ 6:46 pm
Trigger you took a day off, I was lost…
November 5, 2018 @ 9:17 am
Have not yet watched it but I am planning to, if only for the fact that the excellent Marlon Williams got a guest spot. Great choice, an excellent und unexpected pick. I always thought it would be Taika Waititi who would open this fellow Kiwi’s door to Hollywood, turns out Bradley Cooper beat him to it.
November 5, 2018 @ 9:48 am
Sounds like he’s trying to mimic Phil Anselmo (Pantera) when he talks.
The movie was long. VERY long. So many scenes that felt unnecessary, while there were a lot of scenes that felt like they needed more exposition.
November 5, 2018 @ 2:45 pm
From what I understand, he tried to lower his voice so that he would be believable as Sam Elliot’s brother.
November 5, 2018 @ 11:56 am
An oscar for Isbell?
November 5, 2018 @ 12:08 pm
The length of this movie was way too long, and with the exception of Cooper’s performance, felt like a total waste of time. Lady Gaga has a nice voice, but she is definitely, HUGELY lacking any talent as an actress. She should stick totally to concert & video performance, not acting.
November 5, 2018 @ 1:48 pm
The length of this comment was way too long, and with the exception of praising Cooper’s performance, felt like a total waste of time.
November 5, 2018 @ 3:02 pm
I bet you’re fun at parties
November 5, 2018 @ 5:55 pm
More fun than kl is at the movies :/
November 5, 2018 @ 2:14 pm
So Trig I agree with you about this film. I would also add that authenticity is what Judy Garland brought to her version and the music, and that the film certainly has that theme. Why did Miss Streisand’s version not stand the test of time because it’s authenticity was lacking, even with Kris Kristofferson. I too wish the music had been done live. But at least it will be remembered because it is so good.
November 5, 2018 @ 3:09 pm
Streisand’s version suffered from Streisand wanting too much hand’s on with project and having scenes rewrote. I’m pretty sure it’s out there that because of her constant involvement, it pissed Kristofferson off royally.
November 5, 2018 @ 5:17 pm
Actually the music was all recorded live and in camera, including the scenes shot on stage at Stagecoach, Coachella and Glastonbury music festivals. So maybe the sound was out of synch in your theatre if the lip syncing didn’t match up? That was one stipulation that Lady Gaga made when she agreed to do the film, that the music all had to be recorded live. The only exceptions were Bradley Cooper’s guitar solo in the opening scenes (what you hear on screen is actually Lukas Nelson playing) and I think the SNL scene was lip synced but they did that on purpose because it was supposed to piss Jackson off that she had lost her authenticity.
November 5, 2018 @ 5:58 pm
This is true. Here is an article describing how they did it.
https://variety.com/2018/artisans/production/bradley-cooper-lady-gaga-a-star-is-born-2-1202966079/
November 5, 2018 @ 6:42 pm
Well screw me. I definitely don’t think it was all the singing scenes. Whenever Bradley Cooper was singing “Maybe It’s Time,” or they were at the piano, it did appear live. But Gaga in some of the arena shots sure did look like she was lip syncing to me. Perhaps it was the Dolby sound in my particular theater, or maybe they came back and overdubbed one or two notes or lines. But I’ll give them credit for making an extra effort to perform live.
January 10, 2020 @ 6:04 am
The first half of the film is music and again music, and there were a lot of dialogs. Bradley managed to create a real concert out of this half, which is difficult to tear yourself away, and you want to immerse yourself in these songs more and more. Bradley himself sings quite well, of course he hasn’t as strong a voice as Gaga, but he looked very worthy on stage. Bradley Cooper did a good job, paid attention to the relationship, showed the weaknesses of his character, showed a very good love between main characters. He showed the way from a simple girl to a Star. Most importantly, he showed how alcohol affects a person and how it destroys him. Thanks for your review!
March 15, 2020 @ 3:15 am
I’m way behind, as usual, but I just saw this movie over the weekend and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Been jamming to the soundtrack too.
two wrenches up!
-Woog