Bradley Cooper‘s remake of the classic film A Star Is Born birthed $42 million at the box office on its opening weekend.
The film, starring Cooper and music titan, Lady Gaga, came in second to Sony’s Venom, which topped the box office with $80 million.
I saw A Star Is Born on Monday and I was completely blown away! The film is fantastic!
Read our review of the film written by our resident movie guru, B. Gunn.
A Star Is Born Review
A star is born. No, not me. I’m talking about the movie A Star is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady GaGa. This is actually the fourth overall re-make of the love story and Cooper makes his directorial debut hoping to improve on the previous three versions. Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a superstar country singer with a serious alcohol and drug addiction. He ends up meeting Ally, played by GaGa and is so impressed by her talent that he asks her to come to a concert where he has a special surprise. From there, nature takes its course. A romance blossoms, but weeds grow, too. I haven’t seen the three presentations before Bradley’s take, so I don’t have a gauge. What I can say however, is that I think this Cooper guy has found his calling. His first directing job ever should have these veterans shaking because A Star is Born!
Cooper and GaGa’s chemistry is better than Hennessey and Coke! These two electrify the screen with their performances. Watching them in action gives you hope that maybe love can conquer all. Their teamwork is instant and genuine. Cooper pours his soul into Maine. This dude becomes your best friend after only a few minutes of watching him. His character arc is incredibly moving as you watch him at his height as he slowly descends.
GaGa’s performance is the same yet her character is on the other end of the spectrum. She’s the obscure nobody who grabs you once she sings for the first time. Her ascension to stardom is cliché in the sense that this is normally what you see on tv and in movies but this is how it usually happens. Her acting ability coupled with her singing keeps your eyes glued. Cooper’s voice is surprisingly excellent along with his guitar playing. This dude is nice on the strings, y’all!
Supporting cast members Sam Elliot and Andrew Dice Clay are the perfect choices for their characters. As you watch Elliot and Cooper’s interaction, it just makes you want to know more about their characters’ history together which keeps the audience enthralled even more. Acting performances are great, but how are the songs?
After all, this is somewhat of a musical. If you’re not a fan of this style of music, you will be!
As I said earlier, Cooper is a dayum beast on the guitar. The opening scene lets you know immediately that this dude ain’t playin’! You almost wonder why he never released any music of his own up to this point. The songs in A Star is Born are organic and raw, then pop-ish and catchy, but it all makes sense for the plot. I guarantee you’ll want the soundtrack after seeing the movie. Star is filled with emotional scenes, some heart-warming and others heartbreaking. One, maybe two scenes could’ve been orchestrated better, but for a first-time director, I’m giving Cooper a pass.
A Star is Born will grow up to be a legend, and I’m co-signing it to the fullest! Go check this one out at a theater with a quality sound system and bring something for your eyes. I’m jussayin’. If the plot doesn’t hook you, the music will.
Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself humming “Shallow” from the movie at work.
Have you seen the film?
