Bradley Cooper was warned not to do “A Star Is Born” for his directing debut, but we are so glad he did. Cooper made the film sing with Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott and Cooper himself in the leads.
We were apprehensive since the 2nd of the 4 “A Star is Born,” with Judy Garland, is a classic in our family. But Cooper more than won us over. The Writer/Director/Actor has created a film that is very much like a modern day Shakespearean comedy and tragedy in one; and with a great soundtrack of original music to boot.
The acting, original music, and cinematography by Matthew Libatique (Venom, Mother!,Black Swan) puts you right in the middle of what it’s like having mega fame as a performer. Cooper uses hand- held camera shots bouncing around the stage to show the frantic nature of live concerts in the bowels of big venues with beams of light and screaming cacophony. Woodstock was his original inspiration. He wanted to show how exciting it can be. And also how quiet, alone and lonely it is when you’re not surrounded by fans on and off stage.
But he also shows how scary and frustrating it can be for a young, struggling young artist. That scene showing her coming from the limo up on stage being pulled to sing with him the first time was shot all in one take. You can feel her nervous fear and exhilaration. Gaga is no shrinking violet, but this is her first dramatic film role, and she proves she has the talent to tackle just about anything.
Director Cooper also handles deftly, and with a tender touch, the development of the great love story between Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and Ally (Lady Gaga). It’s cute as he mentors and admires her spunk. He helps her gain confidence in her talent. He lets those scenes play out, especially the one where the two of them are talking and singing her own lyrics in a grocery store parking lot. They’re exploring their feelings and dreams and her songwriting ability. It’s all so casual and intimate that it makes you feel a part of their conversation.
We saw the film with Bradley Cooper at a Cinema/Chicago event. He talked about fighting so many naysayers who thought this would be too difficult for him to pull off as a first time director. But he said he had a vision, thinking out each shot for 3 years while he hand-picked his cast.
Lady Gaga’s own version of “La Vie en Rose” is what Cooper says made him choose her for the role and he put it in the film set in a drag bar with bawdy flavor. It’s a fun and entertaining scene where Ally first encounters Jackson, literally face-to-face, and you can see the sparks fly.
Cooper wanted to pull Stephanie, (Gaga’s real name,) out of her usual crazy costumed trappings to look all natural in the role as a restaurant worker who is a singer/songwriter wannabe. At their first meeting, he greeted her with a make up wipe ready clear every stitch of makeup off her face. That’s the look he wanted for the film, and that’s what you see. You’ll be amazed at how soft and expressive her eyes are without any goop. The mask comes off and she becomes vulnerable, yet convincing, without the bravado. The camera loves her and she knows how to work it.
Cooper put effort into being the crusty, aging, burned out idol who is an alcoholic with hearing and family problems. Cooper worked for months trying to get his voice gravelly enough to sound like his idol, Sam Elliott, who he cast to play his brother/manager in the movie. The director was apprehensive about asking Elliott to be in the film for two reasons. One: he wrote the part of Bobby for Elliott and Two: Cooper modeled his voice after Elliott’s for the role of Jackson. He’d been practicing for 6 months to sound like Elliott which would have been disastrous if he turned it down.
Cooper said Sam couldn’t have been more cooperative and was blown away when he asked him to come back to shoot an extra scene after Elliott was done, and he did! Besides being able to hear that unbelievably mellifluous voice, the actor gives a poignant performance of a manager frustrated with loss of control trying to take care of his brother. Their interaction is strained and minimal, until it boils over. That’s a powerful scene.
Dave Chappell flatly refused Cooper’s pleas to be in the film. It took 2 trips to Ohio to convince Chappell to take on the role of an old friend who finds Jackson out of it, slumped in the grass at the side of the road at the lowest point and convinces him to go for help for alcohol and substance abuse. Don’t know why Chappell was so hesitant. It’s a small role, but a pivotal one.
Cooper not only proves he can direct, he is excellent in the role of Jackson. He doesn’t upstage or push it too far. We asked at the screening if it was hard for him to direct himself. He said not at all, for several reasons. “It was so much easier to be on the field with the actors and the story so I was able to NOT say cut and make adjustments and have the rhythm just keep moving. So I found it invaluable.” Because he co-wrote the script (with Eric Roth and Will Fetters) he said, he hoped they felt, “I was WITH them in this, you know, and I was risking along with them, I hope they felt even more willing to jump off the cliff with me.”
Is he really a musician? He learned to play guitar for the film from Lucas Nelson (Willie’s son). He’s the one playing in the guitar closeups. But who knew Cooper could sing? Even Lady Gaga was impressed with his voice and they sound great together. The songs “The “Shallow,” “Always Remember Us This Way,” and “I’ll Never Love Again” are particularly notable. And they were all performed and recorded for the movie live, which added to the authenticity and excitement, especially in the concert scenes. Expect at least one of the songs to be performed for awards.
Cooper went out of his way to shoot the concert scenes at in real locations. He shot at Coachella where Lady Gaga was the headliner. But he also shot on the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury festival asking the next performer if he could use 4 of their on stage minutes for the shoot, then announce the the next performer. Up next was Kris Kristofferson, who played lead with Barbra Streisand in 1976 in the 3rd version of “A Star is Born.”
To show how Ally’s career skyrocketed, Cooper takes a different route than most directors. Instead of a collage of one fan fueled performance and publicity stunt after another showing fame, he updated getting Lorne Michaels to agree to using the real SNL set for her cutesy pop star performance, complete with an intro by Alec Baldwin. It shows how new found fame and her new British Manager now control her career, not Jackson. It’s a pretty accurate picture of what the entertainment business has become. Bigger is not always better.
Cooper’s scenes of Jackson embarrassing his wife, fighting with his brother and wrestling with himself are absolutely heartbreaking. He goes above and beyond without overdoing it, showing the gamut of despair. Jackson and Ally’s journey is gut wrenching.
This film has it all, and the performances are beyond expectations. Cooper was already an excellent actor, but he has set a high bar for himself now as a director. And this will not be the last time you will see Lady Gaga acting in a lead role. Another Star is Born.
Warner Bros. 2 hours 15 minutes R
