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The Stars Shine in A Star is Born

The fourth version of A Star is Born has been showered with accolades, from Bradley Cooper’s vision coming to life differently than its predecessors, to magnificent acting from all its performers. Yet, not enough can be said about Cooper’s on-point directorial debut and his screenplay. Previously seen in American Sniper and Silver Linings Playbook, as well as stints in comedies, Cooper masterminded A Star is Born. He also wrote music for the film, played the lead, and helped edit it, too.

As Jack, an alcoholic singer on a downward spiral, Cooper performs his own songs, often with the versatile, flamboyant icon, Lady Gaga (TV’s American Horror Story and videos, tours, and recordings), dressed down for her film debut. Gaga rivals Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand’s performances in the second (1954) and third (1976) versions, but also makes her updated character, Ally, wholly her own by evolving from a self-deprecating woman who never sings her own songs to a miraculous singer.

During the promotional interviews, Sam Elliott (The Hero, TV’s The Ranch), the ultimate gravel-voiced cowboy, talked to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show about how Cooper brought him into the film to play Jack’s older brother, Bobby.

Like a line in the film, Cooper told Elliott, “Just trust me.” Elliott said to Colbert that if you trust your fellow performers, “odds are you can get at the truth somewhere along the line.”

Elliott hits on the main reason why so many tears are being shed watching the film, because Cooper has made his characters so authentic. Their truths are revealed in the details. Cooper, with the help of a voice coach, lowered his voice an octave to match Elliott’s. That touch makes the two brothers, whom Elliott says have a “troubled relationship,” much more believable. Of course, Elliott is always believable, and Cooper’s ability to act and sing from the gut holds its own truth.

Jack, drunk after his own soul-blasting performance, enters a drag bar and witnesses Ally singing, which momentarily sobers him up. The adoration in his eyes, almost innocent for a jaded performer, initiates their relationship, as he falls and she rises. Cooper keeps every action identifiable and earthy.

Taking an old, doomed love story and imbuing it with vibrancy seems to be Cooper’s new forte. His original music mixed with intimate camera shots, makes the film indelible. Much of the stage scenes are shot next to or behind the performers, rather than from the audience’s viewpoint, so the sweat, pain, and glory are from the performers’ perspective, gritty and in-your-face.

The song lyrics parallel the trajectory of Jack and Ally’s love and intensify their time together. Lines such as, “When the sun goes down and the band won’t play, I’ll always remember you this way...” also foreshadow the stream of events.

The supporting actors enter the story unobtrusively. Comedian Andrew Dice Clay (Blue Jasmine, TV’s Entourage), plays Ally’s father, Lorenzo, abandoning his earlier raunchy persona. Dave Chappelle (Chappelle’s Show and numerous live shows) plays it straight and steady as Jack’s friend, George “Noodles” Stone, who counsels him when he loses control of his drinking.

The chemistry between Cooper and Lady Gaga singes the heart and rattles one to the bones. They each bring to the duets and scenes a painful intimacy, from their sweat-glistened hair to their nose-to-nose connection on stage. Jack and Ally’s relationship culminates in a wrenching ballad that cements an enduring anthem to tragic love.

Rated R