Film review by Péter Tömöri

A director is born

     What happens when we mix a singer, an actor and a well-known formula? A good film apparently. The new ‘A star is born’ film is a great hit in the cinema, which is not a big surprise after seeing the film. I had my doubts in connection with some aspects of the film, such as with the main stars (Bradly Cooper and Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta better known as Lady Gaga) and the chemistry between them, but seeing them on screen persuaded me that it was just my cautious self speaking. But let’s move on to the plot of the film!

      Jackson Maine (Bradly Cooper) is a famous singer, whose career is declining at the moment due to his alcohol addiction. On one fateful night when he goes to a bar, he meets with Ally (Lady Gaga), who is a waitress and amateur singer-songwriter. There she sings a song, which amazes Jackson, and he immediately becomes interested in her. The film follows their rising love, Jackson’s continuously declining career and Ally’s rise to success. I don’t want to spoiler the rest, so let’s move on.

     As I said, I had my doubts about the two working together and individually. Let’s face the facts, this film is Cooper’s first movie as a director, and as an actress Lady Gaga didn’t previously impress the audience. But they rock in both categories. Cooper could easily take up the role of Jackson, and he could direct himself and Lady Gaga successfully. This resulted in a good chemistry, where it’s not uncomfortable to watch those two having a romance. And surprisingly, Lady Gaga is not just a singer. Of course, she excelled in the parts when she sang, but she supervised the main actors’ singing training, and that’s how one of the best songs was born in the movie. The song “Shallow” could be a hit single, but watching the two perform that is worth every penny. I have read that some people are talking about an Oscar nomination for Bradley Cooper, and he has a solid chance of winning the prize, in my humble opinion.

     And having mentioned Shallow, I must say that the movie is amazing on the musical front as well. It may be due to the experience of Lady Gaga, but truth be told, Cooper did his best too, which was needed. And every other song played in the movie is praiseworthy, so I encourage everybody to listen to them at home.

     However, I must admit, that one thing made me think. This was a reboot, and even though I saw only one scene from the 1976’s ‘A star is born’ with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, the scene where Jackson and Ally perform Shallow was oddly familiar… And as such, was it necessary to make a remake of that film? Some would say yes, because the previous version is outdated, some would say no, because that one is still classy.

     I encourage everyone who loves a romantic story to see this one in the cinemas; it is worth seeing it once, even twice for some.