Bozz Reviews: A Star is Born
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Let me be up front, I am not going to purposely try to ruin the movie for you. I don't feel I can properly review it the way I want to though without touching on some of the topics that might be considered spoilers.
If that makes you not want to continue reading, I understand. Hopefully you will stop back for some of my other posts this week though.
If you are looking for a lighthearted movie about the music industry, this one isn't it. Those things are in this movie, but lighthearted is definitely not on the bill.
Actually, by the end @mrsbozz was pretty ticked off that she had even watched the thing. As a social worker she deals with a lot of bad in the world every day. If a movie doesn't end all sunshine and rainbows, she is usually quite put off by it.
I don't quite recall if this is Bradley Coopers directorial debut, but he has definitely come a long way from Alias as Sydney Bristow's(Jennifer Garner) ill-fated fiance. It was nice to see Greg Grunberg reunited with him even if it was just a short part as his driver.
Presumably Cooper and Grunberg have a friendship from their time on Alias if not before that has stood the test of time. Before I dig into my review too much more, I am going to embed the trailer for the movie from Youtube.
Cooper did a fantastic job of playing his tragic character in this movie. In fact there were was some pretty hard foreshadowing at the beginning of the movie that indicated where it was going. I actually knew what was going to happen before @mrsbozz because I had seen a "trigger" warning online.
I know a lot of people might think the whole "trigger" thing is just the new fad, but trauma is real and it is proven to change your brain chemistry. This movie has some pretty heavy and dark themes. I am not going to tell you not to watch it, but please make sure you are in the right frame of mind.
My biggest problem with Cooper's character of Jack is the dialogue. I know it was part of his persona and he was just playing the character, but I personally felt he was mumbling through most of the movie and it made it hard to understand half of what he was saying.
If you watch this and English isn't your first language you might want to turn the closed captions on, just in case.
I forgot to mention, this is actually the fourth iteration of this story that has come out of Hollywood. With the likes of Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland playing the female lead in the older versions, Lady Gaga definitely had some big shoes to fill.
I have to admit, I wasn't always a Lady Gaga fan. Her crazy antics when she first came on the scene were just a little too much for me. Like Miley Cyrus, I wasn't able to look past the outrageouness to see the pure raw talent that lay underneath(that's right, I am a Miley fan!).
I think Gaga shines in this role and in some ways I felt like it was a reversal of her actual career. Although it is a more mild theme, they do address show business and how it can change you. Gaga's character of Ally changed quite significantly as she gained more fame and recognition. The once shy timid songwriter/artist became more of a pop show piece and Jack could see how it was changing her. He stood by her though.
As I said, I feel Gaga's real career has been the opposite of that, starting with the crazy outrageous stuff and now settling into the singer/songwriter artist area that she so aptly fits. If you haven't listened to her duet album with Tony Bennett (Cheek to Cheek), you really need to.
I didn't cry at the end of the movie. Like I said, I knew what was coming, but I did have a lump in my throat about the size of a basketball.
Do I think it was a good movie?
I'd have to say yes. I think as a final grade I would probably give it a B+. The music was fantastic and I really want to dig into the soundtrack a little this week. The acting was a little shaky at first, but got better as the movie progressed. I think part of it was just the dialog.
Like I said though, the themes were heavy, like the movie Country Strong, this has some really hard scenes in it dealing with addiction. It's rated 'R' and I feel that is a pretty accurate rating.
I hope you enjoyed my first ever movie review. Thanks for reading.
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Haven't seen this one yet, but going to give it a try after reading your review. Now I just hope my girlfriend will like it :P
Great review @bozz, I'm also not a big fan because of some of her antics but I was pleasantly surprised by Lady Gaga's acting in this movie! Enjoyed the music as well but needed those tissues...
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She definitely has an amazing voice and I feel she does a good job of standing up for others.
You seem to have really found your stride with this blog. I remember a time when you weren't sure what to do with it. Now there's a lot of variety -- and every post is interesting and fun. Your production is consistent -- and it's been just delightful to watch this. (By that I mean the blog's development, not necessarily this movie -- although I'm going to have to get this one. I understand where @mrsbozz is coming from -- but I love stuff like this. As long as it's not GOT's type of disgusting-gruesome-and-bizarre-ways-to-make-someone-suffer-and-die -- I'm up for it. I finally quit watching GOT about Season 4 because of that. Maybe I didn't even make it that far. But thanks for the heads-up. I'll be ready.)
Nice post. (Insert raspberry emoticon here.)
Thanks! I really appreciate the kind words. That means a lot to me! Nope, nothing gruesome like that. They even doing a pretty good job of hiding the intense stuff. It's how your mind fills in the blanks that really gets you I think. If you've seen the old versions it holds pretty true to those from what I have seen, though back in 76 when the Kristopherson/Streisand version came out there wasn't such a thing as "trigger warnings".
I have seen it so wasnt a spoiler in anyway for me and I agree with your take on the Movie, I think Lady Gaga was excellent inthe movie and that understanding Brad at times was hard
Thanks!
MOst welcome
Like others have said, not a spoiler on this end, as I haven't seen it "yet". They say music is the universal language or well... perhaps one anyway. And yes; we do not live in a perfect world. There is sadness, loss, and addiction. I am not any kind of professional blogger but do enjoy watching movies, and must say I really enjoyed your post. And... if it takes music, to change our opinion on addiction or mental illness...whatever it may be, then I am all for it!
Thanks, I appreciate your words and the compliment. It isn't often that I watch movies anymore. I felt this one was worth writing about though.
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