When the first trailer for “A Star is Born” came out four months ago, the internet went berserk. Ever since it had been announced that Lady Gaga was starring alongside Bradley Cooper, which is also his directorial debut, people were VERY excited. The trailer just cemented that hype, featuring just a snippet of Lady Gaga singing, causing people to want even more. I was one of those people, but not just because I love Lady Gaga. This film has so much history behind it, with this version being the fourth (yes, fourth) remake of this story of an aging musician guiding a younger one to stardom, featuring the themes of love, fame, and self-worth.
I was one of the skeptics when this film was first announced to be in production. How many times can one tell the same story and how can you vary it enough to set it apart from the others? Also, I had seen Lady Gaga on American Horror Story, and if I’m being honest, she wasn’t that good. She just played the stereotype of Lady Gaga, so I was skeptical of her casting for this. But being someone who loves film, I planned to withhold my judgment until I actually saw the film. However, several factors kept me from being able to do so. For starters, the trailer showed that it wasn’t just another movie about the music industry, but had very careful elements to make it more than just that. The little snippets of dialogue were smartly worded and carefully placed alongside pieces of scenes that were some of the most beautiful shots I’ve seen. Two weeks ago, the first song from the soundtrack was released, and it had both incredible vocals from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (who I did not expect to be such a great, soulful singer) with such impactful lyrics that it was becoming much harder to keep from getting excited about the movie. Then the reviews began pouring in, and not a single one had a negative thing to say about Bradley’s work and as someone who religiously reads Entertainment Weekly and movie reviews, that meant a lot.
So finally, I got to see the film this past weekend. I went into it thinking I was prepared to see it because I knew so much about it. Then the lights went down and the opening notes of the first song came out of the speakers in such a way I felt as if I was at Jackson’s (Bradley Cooper) concert. By the time the screen faded to black at the end, I was in such a state of shock and awe that I didn’t get out of my seat until the credits were nearly done. “A Star is Born” will send you on a wave of emotions from laughter to tears to goosebumps, but it will all be worth it, and definitely expect it to sweep the oncoming awards season. To quote what’s probably the most well-known song from the movie, they’re “far from the shallow now.”
Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSbzyEJ8X9E and the soundtrack is available now. The movie is in theaters nationwide.