Review - A Star is Born (2018)

Directed, Produced and co-written by The Hangover's Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born is a tragic love story that follows the rise of the underdog and the crash of a rock star. I n the fourth take on thus tragic love story, Cooper plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally (Lady Gaga). Ally gave up on her dream to make it big as a singer until she meets Jack and he coaxes her into the spotlight. Her career takes off and Jack's takes a nose dive.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't counting down to the premiere of A Star is Born starring Lady Gaga. I knew it was going to be a great film but I didn't expect it to be as magnificent as it was. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's chemistry was out of this world and their acting gave me serious goosebumps. Their acting was so good that I couldn't stop myself from getting emotional while watching some of the scenes. Cooper did an amazing job behind and in front of the camera. The fact that this is his directorial debut made the experience more mind blowing. I can't think of a better actress more befitting of this role, she was born for this! We all know Gaga can sing but hearing her sing on A Star is Born was so refreshing and made me really appreciate her as an artist. Cooper's voice sounded so smooth that one would think he was an actual singer. This movie is basically how an underdog makes it in a complicated industry and ends up falling for an alcoholic rock star. She knows he's bad for her but she falls even harder for him. When Ally gets signed, she's made to dye her hair, uses more makeup and sings soulless songs to stay in the spotlight. The first part of the film focuses on her rise to stardom while the second part focused on Jackson's decline. He's on a path to self destruction and he can't seem to pull himself together.

The cinematography is perfect and I particularly loved how the camera closed in on Ally in the final scene. It was breathtaking and solidified Gaga's Oscar nomination and hopefully a win for Best Original Song. I'll be shocked if she didn't an Oscar because she was astounding. The other cast cast members were also amazing and they all played very important roles that brought this movie together. The character development is evident from the first scene till the credits rolled and it didn't feel slow in pace. A Star is Born is a roller coaster of emotions and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the theater. Everyone was stunned and in awe of the amazing performance and story telling. It wasn't easy putting my thoughts into words because I feel like words are not even enough to explain how phenomenal this movie was. Everything about it felt so real and I couldn't get enough of all the terrific songs on the soundtrack which I can't get out of my head.

This is definitely going to snag a lot of awards some award season and there's no reason why you shouldn't see it. It was simply exceptional.

RATING 10/10
DIRECTOR Bradley Cooper
BASED ON A Star is Born by William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell
STARRING Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Sam Elliot