‘Tis the reason to be jolly, as it’s awards season and we are spoilt for choice of award contenders in cinemas, something that doesn’t happen all year round sadly. As sad as it sounds, it’s a sort-of second Christmas for me as I love going to the cinema this time of year and cramming in as many films as possible before Oscars night (A.K.A. Christmas Day No. 2). ‘A Star Is Born’ is still storming the box office after its October release and amping up the awards season excitement. Not only is the film Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, but also the big screen introduction for pop sensation Lady Gaga. It’s not the typical norm for a favourite among audiences to feature on the critics’ year end bests, but ‘A Star Is Born’ has succeeded in breaking the mould and is fast becoming a regular nominee in many categories on the awards circuit. Cooper’s first film as director marks the fourth remake of the original 1937 film which starred Fredric March and Janet Gaynor. This resonant asset is actually my biggest problem with the film: nothing about it feels remotely original whatsoever, and that’s without going into the overload of clichés that pretty much told me how each scene would play out before anyone had sung a note.
Lady Gaga is sensational as leading lady, something I didn’t expect from the songstress who has gained a global following as much for her quirky wardrobe choices as her party tunes. But the superstar has proven her acting chops in a grippingly nuanced and achingly vulnerable performance as the young woman with enormous talent and little self-confidence to bolster it. Bradley Cooper is the veteran actor here with all the experience, but he’s effectively upstaged by the scene-stealing Lady Gaga. It doesn’t help that Cooper’s character spends most of the film in a state of drug-fuelled delirium and self-pity which quite frankly deterred my interest in the second half of the film. There’s only so many scenes of slurred speech and the inability to string a sentence together I can sit through without losing patience, more so I can’t recall a single scene where Jackson is sober and able to communicate normally with Ally. On a positive note, Lady Gaga carries the film with her on-screen naturalism and terrific vocals. I also liked how the makeup department have stripped back the heavy eyeliner and eccentric outfits to reveal the natural beauty underneath.
The first half of the film is very enjoyable, and the live performance of original song ‘Shallow’ is a beautifully executed sequence of heartfelt raw emotion and intimate editing. No doubt it will be rewarded in the music category at the Oscars after its Golden Globes victory. Unfortunately the second half lapses into a cringe-fest with the random marriage proposal and ring made out of guitar string (Jackson stays in five star hotels on tour, surely he could afford a sparkly?). The film is bursting at the seams with overdone clichés that I drifted off and wanted the film to hurry up and finish. I really wanted to love the film, but have settled on liking it and appreciating the reasons other people are loving it. ‘A Star Is Born’ is entertaining enough and the chemistry between Cooper and Gaga is electrifying, but it doesn’t hit all the right notes and I wasn’t cheering for an encore.
HKFilmBlog 