As a Lady Gaga fan, I knew I had to check out A Star is Born.
But, it’s not the success story of a young woman I was expecting. The film follows the life of Ally, an aspiring young musician who struggles with her humdrum mediocre life as a server at a restaurant, taking care of her father and his friends while they smoke cigarettes and chauffeur celebrities around. It’s the closest to fame they can get, but her father believes Ally will one day be famous.
One night, while she’s singing in a drag bar, the famous Jackson Maine stumbles in. He whisks her away to stardom, the end. Not.
Maine, or Jack, likes what he sees, and invites Ally to some of his shows, but she knows a drunk when she sees one. She adamantly says no to his request, trying to forget him, but something comes over her and she ends up tangled in his mess.
What I thought was going to be a movie about a strong independent woman rising to celebrity status quickly became the story about a woman who needed another man’s approval and promotion to get there.
Jack gets her there, but he is quick to tear her down with his obnoxious ways. He is nothing but selfish right from the beginning, and even though she called it right from the start, somehow her heart wins over and she falls in love with him. Everything he does screams “walking disaster,” and she just decides to walk right into the hurricane.
Overall, the movie is well done. It’s too bad some people suspected it would be about a self-reliant woman.
I suppose Lady Gaga already has her own amazing success story, but wouldn’t it have been great to keep promoting and uplifting young aspiring women?
If you’ve ever dealt with someone who has an alcohol dependence, you will know exactly how this movie plays out.
It is definitely worth the watch. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are impeccable actors. The entire storyline feels pretty real and raw. For the way this movie was done, I would give it more stars, but because it paints a poor picture on young women and an even worse one on alcoholism, I’m giving it six out of 10 popcorns.
