It’s the end of the year again, and all the media’s annual movie and actor of the year lists are starting to come in. You’ll be surprised to find a familiar name on the list – Lady Gaga. Yes, this year Gaga starred in the first film of her career.
Perhaps you remember her like this – Exaggerated make-up and bold clothes. Glamorous slaying the house. She’s an iconic figure and has won more awards and hits than she can count. This time she wiped off the heavy make-up to portray the transformation of an ordinary person into a star, and she still shone.
A Star Is Born”, which many of you may not know, is one of Hollywood’s most iconic IPs. The first version of A Star Is Born was made in 1937, followed by two more versions in 1954 and 1976, and this is the fourth edition this year. The series is about the heroine’s rise to stardom, and the same is true of each of the films, which cast the hottest stars of the day, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, all of whom were once big names.
The first two films were from a Hollywood perspective, but from the third film onwards it’s a musician’s perspective, and the latest one is the same as the third film, about a musician. The latest film, like the third, is about a musician. It is said that Beyoncé was wanted for this film but was turned down. But Uncle thought Gaga would be more fresh than the big screen experienced Beyoncé, and she proved to be strong in her performance as well, contracting the shine of this film. The film is also the first feature film directed by leading man Bradley Cooper. This one is also a familiar face to everyone, having starred in films such as The Happy Line Behind the Clouds and The Hangover.
For the most familiar, Uncle is probably Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, this is the man behind Rocket Raccoon. Cooper’s directorial debut leaves a lot to be desired in terms of overall control, but the overall word of mouth in the foreign press is pretty good.
Gaga and Cooper wrote all the music for the film, and the performances were recorded live, so you can imagine it’s going to be a musical feast before you see it. Cooper plays Jack Mayne, a well-known country musician who loves music, but is also lost in it. He never wears earplugs when he plays live because he needs to be fully immersed in the atmosphere and as a result he suffers from hearing damage. On the other hand, he was an artist in his own right, a heavy drinker and drug addict with an unpredictable temper. At the beginning of the film his music career seems to be in full swing, he tours and his audiences are very receptive.
But after the gig he is left with a void, a world of intense ringing in his ears, and a desire to shed his star power and go to a bistro for a drink. He pulled up to a random roadside pub where he met our leading lady, Ellie. Avery has a gifted voice and by day she works in a restaurant but by night she sings in a drag bar. Because her appearance was not recognised, she seemed a little unsure of herself at the time, putting on eyebrows and a wig to disguise herself as someone else and sing someone else’s songs.
She later told Jack that she had to deal with male judgement on her appearance as a woman who wanted to make a name for herself, and that her nose was too big for the conventional aesthetic. It’s interesting that it’s also the marginalised groups that accept her at first, which is quite amusing.
The cross-dressing bar encounter is also an adaptation of this from the third film, where the female lead is also given a gay honey, Ramon, which feels like an interesting set-up when combined with Gaga’s own gay icon status. Anyway, it is here that Jack meets Ellie and is impressed by her singing voice.
The two go from this bar to the Next Song Bar, talk all night and write a piece of music together. Sparks flew between them through the music. At this point Ellie was still very unsure of herself, she was not confident in her looks and the conversation with the big star seemed like a dream. They parted in the early morning and Jack invited her to sing at his evening concert, which she chose to decline. Because she didn’t feel she was good enough to stand on a stage like that, and she was afraid that last night’s sympathy was a drunken effect of Jack’s, and that when she sobered up everything might go back to the way it was.
Caught between Jack’s sincerity and the fuck-ups in her life, she eventually made it to the concert. For the first time, she and he sang the song they had written together on stage together, to the cheers of a thousand people in the audience. What followed was the logical step of getting together. Ellie’s talent was also discovered and her career took off. While Ellie’s acting career was on track, Jack’s star was fading. His tinnitus was getting worse and his alcohol and drug abuse was affecting his form even more.
As the two men’s careers fell further and further apart, it also affected his mental state. It was an almost devastating time for him, he was angry at his brother who had been his manager and was even more critical of Ellie. His life and his relationship were in a state of disarray. You can imagine the struggle he was going through, and Jack was already sensitive as a musician.
Soon after, Ellie was nominated for three Grammy awards that year and the buzz was overwhelming. At the Grammy’s that year, Avery was the most coveted newcomer, while Jack was relegated to the role of opening act guitarist, standing aside as the spotlight rarely hit him anymore. He hadn’t been able to stop drinking, and because of it he almost ruined Avery’s big moment as Best New Artist. What awaits Ellie is a new album and constant touring, what awaits Jack is more confusion and pain. Even if he chooses to change, it will be hard to go back to the past. The good thing that remains the same is the love between the two. The title of A Star Is Born will always suggest that it is an inspirational story, but in fact it is a true romance, from the sweetness of the relationship to the sadness of the hurt.
The love between the two never changes, and when it comes to each other, they are actually willing to sacrifice for each other, and even if Jack is unbearable, Ellie never for a moment thinks about ending it. But when he looks back on his career, he inevitably gets lost and desperate. After all, he truly loves music and has dedicated his life to it.
The heart of this love story is always tragic, as one moves forward and the other backwards, ultimately growing further apart. Perhaps it is also the tragic and faithful love that is most remembered. Her best friend is a gay honey, she lives with her father, and her agent is also a man.
She is encouraged to sing on stage by Jack and later by her manager, but her success is all due to her own strength, but the motivation comes from outside. She resisted dyeing her hair at first wanting to be herself, and later dyed her hair and hired back-up dancers.
The only time she decided to cancel a European tour was so as not to hurt Jack. To be honest, Ellie really lacks charisma compared to the real-life icn Gaga. But the good thing is that the character is backed up by Gaga herself. Because of her lack of independent will, the character doesn’t really have much of a role to play, but on stage, Gaga shines even when she’s not wearing her face.
Gaga’s presence holds the film together, so to speak. First-time director Cooper handles the story in a straightforward manner, with the supposedly dramatic scenes falling flat and boring, and the editing in the second half repeatedly giving a sense of fracture, making the film feel generic. But when Ellie stands on stage for the first time and sings for her dreams, Uncle is more or less moved. Perhaps because there is no IP effect, the story will have less resonance with domestic audiences, except to say that some of the songs in it are really quite good.
It’s a pity that although Ms. Gaga is an alternative for Actor of the Year, she is still far from the Oscar, but I can see the plasticity in her.
