Shocked there’s no thread for this. Who has seen it? What did you think?
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My main thought…poor Charlie.
I saw it on Friday and LOVED it. I was excited about seeing it and had fairly high expectations after all the reviews had been so glowing, but it still hit me so hard. I’ve not seen any of the previous versions, but I knew the basic outline of what to expect, but it still felt fresh. All the actors were fantastic, I really liked the music, and it was really well directed and written. I’ve seen movies before with troubled romances and movies with alcoholic love interests, but I thought this did really well with not hitting you over the head with his alcoholism or her enabling him. I didn’t know what to expect from director/writer/producer Bradley Cooper, but now I’m very interested to see what he does next.
And related to your spoiler:
[spoiler]The crowd in the theater I was at all went “awwwww” in unison when puppy Charlie was brought out by Lady Gaga. And at the end when Charlie laid down in front of the closed garage door that destroyed me.
Also I had thought during the movie that Bradley Cooper and Charlie were very cute together, it seemed very natural them playing together. And then I read later that the role of Charlie was played by Charlie the dog, Bradley Cooper’s real life dog, who he named after his late father, and finding that out brought up emotions again. [/spoiler]
Somewhat related, I must admit part of the reason I went Friday night was because one of the gay bars in town was doing an unofficial after party Friday night and had drag queens doing Lady Gaga songs. One queen did the last song from the movie, which is a gorgeous song, but not the most high energy for a drag show. She rescued it by making one of the big guys in the audience come up and then she got on his shoulders and made him carry her around the bar, so now it will be hard for me to hear the song and not think of that.
Bradley Cooper absolutely blew me away, both acting and singing wise. Also loved his Directing. I enjoyed the way the dialogue sounded so naturalistic.
It’s seemingly often the case that an actor turned director does their finest work in their first or second movie. I wonder why that is? This was a hell of a well made movie; Cooper has a wonderful eye as director. The use of color and contrast was outstanding, and he got brilliant performances from everyone. The concert scenes were stunning, and he and Lady Gaga had incredible chemistry. Even small scenes show artistry and originality. I could cite a dozen examples.
Lady Gaga, well, my oh my. Obviously her voice is astounding, and Cooper uses it brilliantly; when she first sings on stage with Cooper/Jackson, it just explodes out of her; you know of course who the actress is and what she is capable of and yet Cooper still manages to make the unveiling of her talent and power a revelation. Her acting is absolutely Oscar-worthy. I found her kind of a stunt casting in “American Horror Story” but this is simply a role she was born to play, though (as she herself has admitted) the character is really different from her aside from being a singer.
It’s an old, melodramatic story, but as the saying goes, it’s how you tell it.
I really enjoyed this movie. It is hard to make a movie that engages and moves the audience when most of the audience not only knows the ending, but the entire story arc. Bradley Cooper succeeded with this one.
My Star is Born ranking:
1954- Judy Garland, James Mason
2018- Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper
1937- Janet Gaynor, Frederic March
1976- Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson
Agreed. I was also astonished at just how good Gaga was, especially knowing the music her character starts with in the film has basically nothing in common with Gaga’s personal style. I’ve read somewhere that Gaga was a musical prodigy when she was young; now I really believe it. I also was surprised at just how blue-collar sexy she is capable of being. She looked pretty damn good just dressed as a waitress going to work.
Cooper was really good too, although that didn’t surprise me. After seeing him in roles as different as “Limitless” “The A-Team” and “The Hangover,” I figured he had more range than he’s ever shown. What was really incredible (and he gets credit for this as director) is how well the concert scenes were shot. The prelude to the first time Gaga’s character appears on stage, showing Cooper playing with his band, getting the crowd into it, cutting back and forth to Gaga trying to find the stage, in the theater I could just feel dramatic tension coming from the screen. Those few minutes were way more exciting than most live concerts I have ever attended, and it takes skill to build that kind of tension. The cutting in the final song between Gaga singing and scenes of her and Cooper together was also really powerful and skillfully done.
This movie made me tear up TWICE. No other movie has ever done that.
I was a bit confused over what genre the “Jackson Maine” character performed in. His look and style really seemed pretty country, maybe country rock. But his first number and most of his actual playing were blues-rock style. The first song he and Gaga sang together sounded like basic (though really good) pop music with some rock overtones.
She attended the Tisch School of the Arts
Jackson Maine is patterned after Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
Well, he looks like Eddie Vedder and kind of sounds like him but otherwise, there’s essentially no similarity. Vedder, of course, is a West Coast grunge rock artist (I know he was born in Chicago but he moved to California as a teen); Jackson Maine, from a farm in Arizona, is clearly meant to be country-infused rock. Of course, their personal stories are quite different as well. Cooper did based the look off Vedder but he’s friends with Vedder and I’m sure did not mean to portray him as an alcoholic slob.
You missed one: What Price Hollywood? - Wikipedia
Stylistically, I’d compare him to Tom Petty. With a sprinkling of Springsteen.
I thought of that as the end of Act 1, the directing and editing right from the beginning of the film and through this scene were stupendous. After that, it felt like it fell into a more conventional rhythm (nothing wrong with that). The shot framing choices throughout were really effective in creating emotional intimacy with the characters.
Regarding the acting, I expect the 3 leads to get Oscar nominations and wouldn’t be surprised by wins. I give Sam Elliott the best odds for a win in the supporting category - beloved older actor / career achievement and all that. For Gaga this is a once in a lifetime kind of role, it will be interesting to see what else filmmakers can come up with for her.
Are you saying boo? Or Boo-urns?
I love Elliott as a rule, but I’m not sure he wins for this. It’s a really small part and he didn’t have to do much beside being Same Elliott. I could see him getting the quasi-lifetime achievement award for it if there are no other strong nominees. But in the last several years studios tend to submit big, meaty parts for the supporting category in an attempt to increase their nominations and crowd out legitimate supporting roles. Look at it this way…Heath Ledger won for supporting actor for Dark Knight. JK Simmons for Whiplash. Those are staring roles, but because they are the antagonist the get dropped into the supporting category.
When I saw the mix of rock and country with a little bit of pop, the first name that went through my mind was Garth Brooks. He was the first rock/country performer to hit it big enough to sell out arenas regularly. (though I think Jackson Maine takes this mix to a more extreme level)
Since the law suit did not succeed (was it ever filed?), I am not legally required to include this film. 
We saw it Saturday. Loved it. And yes, poor Charlie.
The wife, not a native English speaker, had a hard time with Bradley Cooper’s and Sam Elliott’s accents, but she still kept up okay.
I never really knew what Lady Gaga looked like before, what with all her costumes and makeup and stuff, but now I do. Yowzah, she’s gorgeous.
Judi Dench won an Oscar for less than 10 minutes as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.
I saw it a couple nights ago at our local Alamo Drafthouse. As part of the pre-show they showed bits of her work that showed her range. Apparently she’s done a swing/nightclub style duet with Tony Bennett and she has also put out a more country and western-flavored album. I’ve never really followed her because my age (and lack of kids) puts me outside of her demographic and I admit that her stage name puts me off. But the more I see of her the more I am gobsmacked with her talent.
Also between that pre-show bit (that showed a few of her many costumes) and her look in this film, I commented to my husband that she is really a visual chameleon. Without any makeup (early part of the film) she has a girl-next-door ordinary level of prettiness (with what Hollywood would consider clear flaws like her nose). But then all of the different stage makeup styles and costumes make her look like a completely different person and she inhabits them all perfectly. And I agree, she is gorgeous. And those pipes…
Remember, that was a song that Ally wrote, and that Jackson arranged (and seemed to add lyrics to) in a matter of hours after he dropped Ally off at home. It would sound basic, but with a Jackson Maine touch.
I’ve seen this 3 times now, twice in the past week. I first saw it last November, when they had a series of test screenings. I know of at least two screenings in Chicago. At that time the movie was due to be released in May, but I’m sure the rave feedback they got caused the studio to rethink the movie as being an Oscar hopeful, so they moved it to October. Also back then, Lady Gaga was billed by her real name, Stefani Germanotta, but the Lady Gaga name was a big selling point so it was changed. We all signed a give-up-your-firstborn NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) so we couldn’t talk about the movie. I’m so glad it’s finally out and people are seeing how good it is.
It’s not even my kind of movie or music, and I still loved it.