On a normal day, my girlfriend and I are pretty in sync when it comes to what to watch. I’ve actually become shocked over the past few years at how in sync we’ve become in pop culture tastes. Inevitably there are times where she falls in love with a film trailer on TV that screams “stereotypical rom-com.” Corny dialogue, upbeat music, golden washed cinematography – the whole deal.
And because I’ve gotten used to these occasional occurrences, I prepared myself for the lamest ride of a lifetime (after postponing the viewing as long as humanly possible) when she finally got me to go see A Star is Born. But you know what? I was wrong. Remember this because I don’t say that a lot.
The film, while containing some cliche elements, really surprised me. I don’t know if it was the marketing I’ve seen, or incorrect word-of-mouth talk, but for some reason in my head deemed this movie to be a lackluster film. But what it ended up being was a really solid, well done movie that ultimately impressed me. The dialogue was smart and well-structured, most of the scenes were beautifully shot, and most importantly, it was something director and star Bradley Cooper really put effort into — lest we not forget the camera power of Lady Gaga as well.
Each character immersed themselves into their roles and put forth such believable performances that I wouldn’t be shocked if some Academy attention came their way. Gaga may be the best of them all. In her role of the girl who doesn’t think she’ll ever make it in the music industry because of a lack of confidence in her appearance, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a perfect casting choice before in a movie. It felt like I was watching an actual documentary of her rise to fame. This isn’t even mentioning the immense chemistry she has with Cooper on screen.
Another brilliant aspect of this film, something that was pushed for by Lady Gaga, almost as much as Cooper pushed to have Gaga cast, was the element of live vocals in all of the songs. Putting aside the fact that each song was beautifully written and performed, each one pertaining to the film in very significant ways, the way they are performed on screen seem so real because they are. Cooper took guitar and vocal lessons, so after they got the go ahead to do live performances, they not only did it, they gave it their all. The passion, the energy, the effort is clear and adds a perfect element of realism to the film.
Yet, there are some cliche elements to it. The biggest was the predictability of the plot. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, skip the rest of this section. While I enjoyed the movie, and really found myself caring and rooting for the characters, I felt I had each twist and turn down in my mind always at least a few scenes before they happened. The biggest is the suicide of Bradley Cooper’s character. The movie opens with a shot of him in his limo after a concert, and in the background is a billboard with four nooses on it. This blatant foreshadowing, combined with the straightforward nature of the film resulted in me not really being shocked by the demise of Cooper’s character at the end.
I wasn’t shocked, and quite frankly, I didn’t feel it was needed. The beginning of the film really sent its trajectory on the path most taken by movies. Two polar opposite characters meet, fall in love, have struggles, the usual. And cliche for this movie in particular was the drug and alcohol addicted Cooper. I believe he should’ve really gotten better after he goes to rehab in the movie. Because the only thing we see plot wise is Gaga’s manager telling Cooper to stay away from her, which results in him suddenly doing drugs again and committing suicide. It provided a really emotional end, but it felt like the most obvious end as well. I feel there would’ve been more power to surprise us with these two actually making it and Cooper’s character surviving.
All of that aside, I did end up enjoying A Star is Born. The acting, the music and the heart and soul of all those involved were clear. So give it a chance, if you’ve been misinformed by marketing like myself, it really is a movie that will surprise you in quality. And maybe, just maybe, your significant other will drag you to a movie you’ll love.
Jackson Horvat is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
