A Star is Born...Prematurely
**SPOILER ALERT
LalaLand gets gritty. That is my interpretation of A Star Is Born, the latest musical iteration to explore the high price of fame.
The story is about an alcoholic country style singer, Jack Maine (Bradley Cooper) who coincidentally meets girl next door, Ally (Lady Gaga) in a drag bar one...dark...night and becomes the vehicle for her fame. Ally knocks him out with her voice and their relationship progresses at a lightning fast pace.
Cooper kills it as a rock star, knocking me out with amazing foot-tapping vocals and his embodiment of a deeply troubled, talented, and cruel singing star. I believed every moment of his performance and forgot several times that he was portraying a fictional character.
The chemistry between Cooper and Gaga is real. Many electric sex scenes spur the action forward while creating that essential foundation of a real couple bound by love while fighting their demons.
Although I thought the on-screen romance between Cooper and Gaga was convincing, it wasn’t well developed. Cooper’s character, Jack Maine, is a famous singer/guitarist yet only Gaga’s character and one other person seem to know who he is when they meet him in a drag queen bar. He almost immediately offers her the chance to record and it was hard to believe when she didn’t jump at the chance.
Her “resistance” to becoming a celebrity dragged on for a bit and didn’t really make sense. Who sings their heart out at a drag queen bar but doesn’t have ambitions to be a star? The script attempts to style it as a result of her irritation with her father's incessant chatter about almost making it in the biz and trauma from rejection by music industry executives who didn't think she was attractive. But her reasoning (and the dialogue) falls thin perhaps due to Gaga’s freshman acting skills. Her subsequent rise to fame happens very quickly in montage after montage, perhaps from a bit of hurried direction on Cooper’s part.
When she finally does quit her old life and becomes Cooper's official boo, her father (Andrew Dice Clay) then disappears from the screen for an unreasonably long period of time, since he is her sole relative and her champion. Dice and his senior citizen cronies also provide some comic relief.
Despite these somewhat egregious flaws, the movie is very good and the hurried pace is not unforgivable. The balance between humor and drama was perfect, providing me and the audience with collective laughter and eerie silence during several emotionally distressing moments as the couple falls in love and drifts apart, while making great music.
Cooper's unexpected suicide scene is gently managed, focusing on the aftermath of suicide in a way that welcomes dialogue and understanding without glorifying or victimizing anyone. A stronger actress would have filled all aspects of the role as novice, lover, wife, confidante and bonafide star as Reese Witherspoon did in her portrayal of Ruth Cash in “Man in Black.”
Gaga struggled and stalled to capture a truly supportive wife during Cooper’s recovery. At times her delivery was stiff and tonally uneven. Even during her first appearance on stage, she resorts to acting like "Lady Gaga" as opposed to a young, hopeful singer.
Plenty of ear popping vocals will keep you humming - even after Gaga's character sells out and starts singing pure pop rubbish. But, as with all directorial debuts, a few unfinished details tarnished the overall delivery.
Cooper, as an actor, stunned with strong vocals, a spot on rock star rendering, emotive tenderness, and an acutely precise depiction of an insensitive alcoholic. But he never seemed to be as desperate as the movie wanted us to believe. His temperamental outbursts didn't line up with a hopeless, suicidal personality. A random conversation with an apparently bitter manager appears to be the catalyst for his suicide, which seemed to surprise the audience. It certainly surprised and confused me.
The key conflict- Gaga’s self interested behavior -didn’t seem to cause anyone concern. She sold out to the music business very quickly with almost no confrontation from any other character except a cryptic line from Cooper.
A Star Is Born is an emotionally convicting film, overflowing with heart, however it could have done fine without referencing the title of its forebears. Because the film has been remade so many times, it gleams with the veneer of a shameless, transitional acting vehicle for Lady Gaga. Still, be prepared for soaring emotional moments and a heartbreak severe enough to damage you. Yes, A Star is Born but in this case a bit too soon.