A remake of the 1976 classic A Star is Born recently hit theaters starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The romantic drama directed by Bradley Cooper himself has received a variety of excellent reviews. The Washington Post called the film “lavishly delightful” while the Los Angeles Times labeled it simply “remarkable”. I recently took a trip to the movie theater to see the remake and left quite impressed.

The plot follows a washed-up, hard-drinking musician by the name of Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) as he discovers Ally (Lady Gaga), a struggling waitress and singer/songwriter. After a show, Maine finds himself at a drag bar searching for a drink. He witnesses Ally perform and quickly becomes enamored by her performance and awe-inspiring voice. After a long pursuit, he invites her to one of his shows where he candidly pulls her out on stage to sing one of her songs. This springboards their romance and opens the platform for Ally to begin a career of her own. The film follows them through the development of Ally’s stardom while also highlighting the extreme alcohol and drug addiction that plagues Jackson’s life. As their love grows alongside Ally’s career, Jackson’s problems become magnified, eventually resulting in an epic meltdown, one that leaves both Ally and the audience heartbroken.

The thrilling story of Jackson and Ally’s love story is accompanied by a spectacular soundtrack highlighted by Lady Gaga’s epic vocal portrayal of Ally. The soundtrack features nineteen songs in a wide range of styles. Highlighted by key tracks including “Shallow”, “Always Remember Us This Way”, and “I’ll Never Love Again”, the album opened atop the US Billboard 200 after its release. This accomplishment helped extend Lady Gaga’s record as the female artist with the most chart topping albums since 2010. The album also became the first album since High School Musical 2 to top the chart for three weeks.

Both Cooper and Lady Gaga have received raving reviews for their performances in A Star is Born. Variety.com wrote about Gaga’s excellent performance saying, “Lady Gaga will never be the same”. Bradley Cooper’s performance helped introduce an entirely new facet to his accomplished career, successfully directing and singing in a major motion picture.  

I would highly recommend people from all audiences to go see A Star is Born. The movie encompasses excellent music, a remarkable love story, alongside elements of humor and tragedy into one seamless film. With the holidays coming up, take your friends and family to the theater; you will not be disappointed!