• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Adele moved to tears by man holding up a picture of his wife at her concert
  • Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***
  • Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

‘A Star is Born’ is Electric Entertainment: Movie Review

Nathaniel Rogers October 4, 2018 Leave a Comment

astarisborn handscovering
Lady gaga about to be reborn in “a star is born”

Overnight success is a myth. Great artistic success in show business generally comes from working hard and learning the craft, often for years, so that you’re ready should a big break ever come. ‘Overnight’  is only just that moment when the world suddenly notices your long-standing gifts. A Star is Born as a franchise always synthesizes this myth and this truth for something like a fairy/cautionary tale; just as quickly as a star rises, a star can fall. Talent is never the question, but the starting point; whether the world notices and for how long, is out of your hands.

The screenplay for the latest telling of A Star is Born, emphasizes this last point, as Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) urges Ally (Lady Gaga) to give it her all because the world might not always be listening.

For those who’ve been living under a cultural rock the story of A Star is Born is ancient and simple: One already established successful showbiz man ‘discovers’ an absurdly gifted but basically unknown female performer and takes her under his wing. They fall in love but as her fame rises, his falls, plagued as he is by personal demons in liquid form. The story never has a happy ending so if you need a good cry, queue up.

astaris pianosene

It’s easy to see why this enduring showbiz tearjerker attracts star performers who know a thing or two about life in the spotlight (Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, James Mason, Fredric March, etc…) though its appeal to filmmakers is perhaps a bit less obvious. Enter Bradley Cooper, famous actor and now an overnight success as a director…

Cooper’s clearly been honing the storytelling side of his gifts for years on the sly. Perhaps he was purposefully hovering, soaking up the magic of multitudinous decision-making on the sets of the gifted directors he’s been fortunate to work with: Clint Eastwood (American Sniper), David O. Russell (American Hustle), and Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines) chief among them. There’s little other explanation possible as to how Cooper so confidently dons this new hat, born anew as a director behind the camera while simultaneously giving the performance of his career as a movie star in front of it.

astariselliothands
Bradley cooper and sam elliott, oscar-worthy onscreen brothers

Though it would be silly to say that Cooper is unrecognizable as Jackson Maine, his voice at least is totally new — to his vocal chords that is. Like a more benevolent Ursula, he’s magically stolen the voice of Sam Elliott while letting Sam Elliott keep those molasses-gravel pipes, too. In effect there are two Sam Elliotts before you since Elliott is on hand (and terrific) as Jackson’s older brother who raised this rock star and now manages him on the road. It’s a full time job given the infinite booze. Aside from the new speaking voice, Cooper has thoroughly recalibrated himself physically and emotionally never feeling anything less than authentic as a casually mega famous but frequently sozzled rock star.

Cooper’s iteration of this old story is the first time an actor has directed the material and it shows. Arguably more than the other versions –even the magnificent Judy Garland classic from 1954 —  this one conjures up a romance that’s deeply rooted in the spirit of artistic collaboration. This Star is not just concerned with the yin and yang of fresh and dimmed spotlights but in the act of creation.

starisborn tourvan

Cooper’s smart performance-focused read on the material and his generosity as an actor is obviously a huge boon to Lady Gaga as his discovery “Ally”. Gaga is still a novice actor rather than a true natural but paired with Cooper she’s relaxed and expressive and moving.  It helps of course that the role is tailored to the superstar in an almost comically meta way. She’s even cheered on by a gaggle of gays in her first big scene, then symbolically released from the gay community into the real world via Jackson Maine accidentally stumbling into a drag bar on the hunt for more booze. But this role tailoring has always been the case with A Star is Born, which lives or dies by the gifts of its female Star, the one being Born.

Lady Gaga knows what a once-in-a-lifetime gift this role is and she’s taking no chances delivering some of the best songs of her career. Lady Gaga came to slay so that “Ally” could be Born This Way.

astarisborn nose
Image via the ringer

If either Cooper or Gaga had any doubts about their ability to pull this off you’d never know it from what’s on screen, the movie operating at all times from an electric place of total confidence, even when the subject of the scenes is the lack of it. For Gaga’s part she walks this high wire with no safety net. Within the first reel of her performance she’s directly inviting comparisons to major legends.

The first time she sings, under the title card no less, it’s the seldom sung intro verse to Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow” which she then chases with a full performance of Edith Piaf’s signature song “La Vie En Rose.” Once she’s risked communing with those formidable ghosts, she’s talking about her nose in profile in a way that would make Barbra Streisand blush. This is a fearless performance demanding your fealty. All you can say in you seat is “yaaaas queen!” when she finally lets loose with “Shallow”.

I’m off the deep end
Watch as I dive in
I’ll never meet the ground
Crash through the surface
Where they can’t hide us
We’re far from the shallow now

The song is thrilling and so is the movie. Watch as these two great artists dive in. Oh, the treasures they dig up together. Once the movie lifts off (with this very song) it never meets the ground again.

astaris bigmomnet

An embarrassment of riches, A Star is Born delivers this moment earlier than you’d think. Before the already iconic moment when Ally blows the roof off of a Jackson Maine stadium concert with her hhaaawwwooahaaahahwoaha caterwauling — the centerpiece of the ubiquitous promotional campaign — we’re treated to a verse of the song in the humblest of ways. Ally sings a bar for Jackson in a parking lot as they talk the night away. The scene is quiet, long, and watchful, as fascinated with this nascent romance as Jackson is with this singular new woman he can’t stop staring at. The new tune is presented casually as the seed of an idea Ally has been tending to. It suddenly blooms in Jackson’s presence, one artist inspired by another. A song, a romance, and a new classic movie born right before your eyes.

Topics: Actor, Drag, Film/TV/Stream More Posts About: Bradley Cooper, Film, Lady Gaga, Musicals, Nathaniel Rogers, Oscars, Sam Elliott

Related Posts
  • Bradley Cooper ‘dating political aide Huma Abedin’
  • LGBTQ Pro Wrestling Documentary ‘Out In The Ring’ Wins Best Canadian Feature at Inside Out Toronto Film Festival
  • Viola Davis was called by director’s maid’s name
  • Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

    Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Marc Jacobs is always honest about his cosmetic surgery so people can’t “talk s***” about him. The 59-year-old fashion designer was candid about going under the knife in 2021 and praised …Read More »
  • Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

    Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

    Published by Reuters By Lewis Jackson and Melanie Burton SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule smaller than a coin that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search involving …Read More »
  • Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

    Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sam Smith has the “opposite” of body dysmorphia now. The ‘Unholy’ singer struggled in the past with the mental disorder, where someone becomes obsessed by a perceived flaw in their appearance, …Read More »
  • Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

    Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

    Published by Radar Online Mega Jeffree Starsent the internet on fire when he casually dropped photos showing him cuddled up to who he described as his “NFL boo” — and now, fans are scrambling to uncover …Read More »
Previous Post: « Stephen Colbert Comments on Vinnie Favale, CBS Exec Suspended for Homophobic, Sexual Remarks: WATCH
Next Post: Kavanaugh Makes Last Ditch Effort for Sympathy in Wall Street Op-Ed Full of False Claims About His Impartiality »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Proud Boys plotted ‘firing squads’ ahead of Jan. 6 riot: ‘War if they steal this’

    Proud Boys plotted ‘firing squads’ ahead of Jan. 6 riot: ‘War if they steal this’

  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023 nominees include Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Sheryl Crow

    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023 nominees include Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Sheryl Crow

  • Editorial: The drag queen debate is ignorant of history and a proxy fight with kids as pawns

    Editorial: The drag queen debate is ignorant of history and a proxy fight with kids as pawns

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social

    Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social

  • ‘He Was Consumed With Sadness’: Lisa Marie Presley ‘Destroyed’ Ex-Husband Michael Jackson With Shock Divorce Filing

    ‘He Was Consumed With Sadness’: Lisa Marie Presley ‘Destroyed’ Ex-Husband Michael Jackson With Shock Divorce Filing

  • Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

    Jane Fonda ‘worried’ about Barbarella remake

RSS Partner Links

  • Hold On a Minute
  • Jordan Klepper Finds MAGAts Who Are Still Crazy
  • Emma Stone & Dave McCary Make Rare Appearance Together at Knicks Game in NYC
  • Princess Kate: The early years can be the ‘root cause of huge societal challenges’
  • “Stop trying to make Carrie Bradshaw & Aiden Shaw into a thing!” links
  • Iranian Couple Sentenced To 10 Years For Dancing After Video Goes Viral
  • Buy Me, Buy Me. Say That You'll Buy Me.

Most Recent

  • Adele moved to tears by man holding up a picture of his wife at her concert

    Adele moved to tears by man holding up a picture of his wife at her concert

  • Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

    Marc Jacobs admitted facelift to stop people talking s***

  • Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

    Lost radioactive capsule found in Australian Outback after huge search

  • Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

    Sam Smith has ‘the opposite of body dysmorphia’

  • Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

    Jeffree Star’s Fans SCRAMBLE To Uncover Identity Of Mystery ‘NFL Boo’ As Makeup Artist Drops Latest Clue With New Lover

  • Alicia Silverstone returns as Clueless character Cher: WATCH

    Alicia Silverstone returns as Clueless character Cher: WATCH

  • Rep. George Santos agrees to skip sitting on House committees as poll shows 78% of voters want him out

    Rep. George Santos agrees to skip sitting on House committees as poll shows 78% of voters want him out

  • As Pope Francis visits Congo, LGBT+ activists cheer for perceived ally

    As Pope Francis visits Congo, LGBT+ activists cheer for perceived ally

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×