In this new take on the tragic love story, Bradley Cooper plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers--and falls in love with--struggling artist Ally (Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer... until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally...Read more
Thrills of Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star Is Born’ aren’t just musical
★★★★
Richard Roeper / Chicago Sun-Times
Every once in a great while you experience a movie moment so beautiful and so exhilarating it truly does take your breath away and maybe even brings a tear to your eye. In Bradley Cooper’s electric and shatteringly powerful “A Star Is Born,” such a moment occurs relatively early.
Lady Gaga is a winning, natural presence, even in the scenes where she’s nowhere near a piano or a microphone. Cooper’s guitar and growling baritone vocal work is so solid, if someone played you a Jackson Maine song and you didn’t know it was actually the actor Bradley Cooper, it’s quite possible you’d believe it was the work of a real veteran music star. Cooper consistently finds unique ways to advance the story, e.g., instead of the obligatory ascent-to-stardom montage replete with shots of Ally’s adoring fans mobbing her for autographs and selfies, and the jam-packed press conferences, etc., etc. And Cooper and Gaga performed their numbers live at real venues, including the Glastonbury Festival, with the cameras staying with the artists. No cheesy cutaways to adoring fans hoisting signs freshly created by the props folks. This is the best “A Star Is Born” yet, and one of the best movies of the year.
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