A Star is Born

               Bradley Cooper's directorial debut is a winner. This is a story that has been told multiple times in Hollywood but with the brilliant casting choice of Lady Gaga, this version takes on a real intimacy that Mr. Cooper takes full advantage of as a director.

                Casting himself as Jackson Maine, the superstar musician whose light is fading, Mr. Cooper does some of his best acting. Directing Lady Gaga as Ally, the unknown singer he discovers and is propelled into the limelight, he has found his muse in more ways than one. Ally's story could easily parallel Lady Gaga's and the singer, stripped of her bigger than life persona, really shines in the role. She pours her heart out in every scene, letting the audience see the girl behind the character and comes across incredibly genuine. Mr. Cooper has obviously studied Kris Kristofferson's character from the previous version and throws in a bit of Jeff Bridges from "Crazy Heart" to flesh out the character of Jackson. The chemistry of the two leads is heartbreakingly real and holds the story together.

                You can feel how personal this film is to Mr. Bradley as a director. He has emerged as a real filmmaker. You can see the details in every shot and feel all the emotion. He makes subtle points throughout such as blurring the audience when Jackson performs but shown clearly when Ally sings. His disconnection to his fans and her connection couldn't be more obvious. 

                  The plot is fairly blueprint and not that exciting but for this film, it's the performances that matter and they are terrific. Co-starring is Andrew "Dice" Clay as Ally's father and he continues to surprise as an actor. Also featured are Sam Elliot as Jackson's older Brother Bobby,  Anthony Ramos as Ally's best friend and Rafi Gavron as Ally's manager. The film also features a cameo by Dave Chappelle as an old friend of Jackson's in a scene that I found to be extraneous.

                   The film runs over two hours and probably could have been shorter without losing any of its strength but I'm sure fans of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper certainly won't complain about the running time. The songs are good and performed very well by both leads and their excellent backup band but nothing really stands out like "Evergreen" from the Barbra Streisand version.

                    I wasn't sure what to expect from this new version but was blown away by the performances and surprised by the direction. The story itself remains mediocre but credit the screenwriters, Eric Roth, Will Fetters, and Mr. Cooper for their attempts at infusing new elements to a story as old as time.