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| Source: Imdb |
Got myself down to
the cinema after having had to wait for this drama about the budding music
career of a singer for what feels like ages and I have to say it was worth the
wait and it lives up to all the buzz. The story did not eff around in the beginning.
They jumped straight into the plot, efficiently building up their characters
along the way in a very economical fashion that I enjoyed. From a feel-good
movie, it turned into one of those where everything was just going too well and
you just expected something terrible to happen to balance it all. I thought
they progressed the plot a bit too quickly, even, reaching what I thought would
be the climax after maybe a third of the runtime. Due to this, the unfolding
story seemed a bit aimless in the middle, reaching a plateau; but it soon
became deliciously obvious that while we were watching one star being born and
ascending to the heavens, we were also seeing another one descending... In this
respect, I loved the relationship between the main characters, because he
genuinely seemed to love her without any agenda, never envying her sudden
success in which he had had such a prominent hand, even though he was struggling so much.
She, in turn, was an honest talent, not a gold digger using him as a step
ladder. It made me feel all warm inside to see two main characters that didn’t
seem to have any hidden dark sides, despite all the trauma in their past.
The two musicians were portrayed to perfection by acting veteran Bradley Cooper and the one and only Lady Gaga. And I have to say: Lady Gaga delivered a masterful début. An absolute breakout performance! She looked in control at all times – even when it seemed she wasn’t, she turned out to be controlling her scene – and she gave a nuanced, heartfelt, incredibly brave and lifelike performance. To go all in with such an emotionally and physically demanding role for her first screen acting gig demonstrates an almost foolish bravery, but also gave her the opportunity to dazzle everyone. Acting seems to come naturally to her.
Bradley Cooper was absolutely awe-inspiring as well. I’ve never paid much attention to him before, but he was nothing short of stunning here. He and Lady Gaga had the most amazing chemistry. They looked so comfortable around each other and with their physical affection. A beautiful couple. The finale was some incredible acting by Cooper. You could tell from his eyes what he was going to do – and then they presented the conclusion in such a stark, minimalistic way. Like a silent exclamation mark. Blue and red flashing lights. Gorgeous!
On to the technical side: An awe-inspiring directing début by Bradley Cooper! Incredible first piece of work! I was absolutely floored when I saw his name in the credits because this was a truly well-made film. He gave the team room to work, clearly not wasting his time on small mistakes, but taking the great stuff and editing out the rest. This led to a few strange editing choices, but hey! The lighting was particularly beautiful, and I liked the natural look of things. The only inconsistency was Cooper’s make-up, that changed from carrot tan to white, perfect skin a few times too often. The runtime of 135 minutes was a bit long. I may have wanted to see this edited down. Then again, it’s a joy to watch these two talents at work, so no rush.
The music was great. I expected nothing less. I’m only a bit sad that Lady Gaga does not show this side of her musical talent very often. Why can’t this be the music she publishes? Her voice is very good and Bradley Cooper totally sells the rock musician 100%! Hell, this makes ME want to be a rock musician, it was so inspiring to watch (not the alcoholism part :D).
In a side note, I was a bit surprised by how they portrayed and handled the tinnitus. I think its fantastic that they put this condition into such a prominent spotlight, making it a major plot point. But what he seems to be suffering from is stress-related tinnitus (the on-off nature of it) combined noise-induced hearing loss, so two different conditions. Be that as it may, as a tinnitus sufferer myself, I can attest to the gruelling sensation of constant noise in your head and I can see how this would wear Coopers character down. I’m sure this was a major factor in the developments. Even though my tinnitus is compensated, the thought of never ever ever being able to experience silence again makes me want to cry. It’s very hard to bear, and it is affecting my hearing more and more. However, unlike Cooper’s character, I religiously wear earplugs. I’m a hobby musician myself and I want to preserve my hearing as long as possible. But he’s right: during gigs, you can’t really hear if you wear them.
Finally, the producer guy: I was so shocked because I met a producer exactly like him! I mean, he was a look-alike. Don’t know about the back-stabbing, but he did seem like the personality type... The movie did highlight the dark side of the music business.
All in all: an inspirational film. Though it miss-portrayed the path of a music career - it takes much longer, even if you do have all the right cards up your sleeve – it makes me want to explore that for myself a bit more. It was also inspirational insofar as both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper delivered respectable débuts. An easy 4/5 Would watch again.
The two musicians were portrayed to perfection by acting veteran Bradley Cooper and the one and only Lady Gaga. And I have to say: Lady Gaga delivered a masterful début. An absolute breakout performance! She looked in control at all times – even when it seemed she wasn’t, she turned out to be controlling her scene – and she gave a nuanced, heartfelt, incredibly brave and lifelike performance. To go all in with such an emotionally and physically demanding role for her first screen acting gig demonstrates an almost foolish bravery, but also gave her the opportunity to dazzle everyone. Acting seems to come naturally to her.
Bradley Cooper was absolutely awe-inspiring as well. I’ve never paid much attention to him before, but he was nothing short of stunning here. He and Lady Gaga had the most amazing chemistry. They looked so comfortable around each other and with their physical affection. A beautiful couple. The finale was some incredible acting by Cooper. You could tell from his eyes what he was going to do – and then they presented the conclusion in such a stark, minimalistic way. Like a silent exclamation mark. Blue and red flashing lights. Gorgeous!
On to the technical side: An awe-inspiring directing début by Bradley Cooper! Incredible first piece of work! I was absolutely floored when I saw his name in the credits because this was a truly well-made film. He gave the team room to work, clearly not wasting his time on small mistakes, but taking the great stuff and editing out the rest. This led to a few strange editing choices, but hey! The lighting was particularly beautiful, and I liked the natural look of things. The only inconsistency was Cooper’s make-up, that changed from carrot tan to white, perfect skin a few times too often. The runtime of 135 minutes was a bit long. I may have wanted to see this edited down. Then again, it’s a joy to watch these two talents at work, so no rush.
The music was great. I expected nothing less. I’m only a bit sad that Lady Gaga does not show this side of her musical talent very often. Why can’t this be the music she publishes? Her voice is very good and Bradley Cooper totally sells the rock musician 100%! Hell, this makes ME want to be a rock musician, it was so inspiring to watch (not the alcoholism part :D).
In a side note, I was a bit surprised by how they portrayed and handled the tinnitus. I think its fantastic that they put this condition into such a prominent spotlight, making it a major plot point. But what he seems to be suffering from is stress-related tinnitus (the on-off nature of it) combined noise-induced hearing loss, so two different conditions. Be that as it may, as a tinnitus sufferer myself, I can attest to the gruelling sensation of constant noise in your head and I can see how this would wear Coopers character down. I’m sure this was a major factor in the developments. Even though my tinnitus is compensated, the thought of never ever ever being able to experience silence again makes me want to cry. It’s very hard to bear, and it is affecting my hearing more and more. However, unlike Cooper’s character, I religiously wear earplugs. I’m a hobby musician myself and I want to preserve my hearing as long as possible. But he’s right: during gigs, you can’t really hear if you wear them.
Finally, the producer guy: I was so shocked because I met a producer exactly like him! I mean, he was a look-alike. Don’t know about the back-stabbing, but he did seem like the personality type... The movie did highlight the dark side of the music business.
All in all: an inspirational film. Though it miss-portrayed the path of a music career - it takes much longer, even if you do have all the right cards up your sleeve – it makes me want to explore that for myself a bit more. It was also inspirational insofar as both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper delivered respectable débuts. An easy 4/5 Would watch again.
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