"A Star Is Born": The Iconic Movie of the Year

Between the relatable narrative and the catchy songs, "A Star Is Born" has so much to bring to an audience.
Photo Courtesy of Den of Geek

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper create one of the most iconic movies of the year by adding their own touch to “A Star Is Born.” Between the incredible onscreen chemistry, the enchanting music and the behindthe-scenes stories, audiences become captivated.

There have been three previous versions of the movie, the first one released in 1937. With each remake comes a fresh cast and tweaked storyline. Overall, the plot revolves around a girl wanting to make herself known by using her talents to gain fame. After repeated failures, she ends up running into a well-established but troubled man who helps her make her way to the top.

Throughout the entire movie, audiences can see trouble coming, but can never anticipate what ultimately ends up happening. Although it is a heartwarming yet wrenching story, the special aspect of this movie that captivates the audience is not necessarily the plot.

The cast of a movie ultimately makes the production into a hit-or-miss in the cinema industry. In the 1976 remake, critics blamed Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson for the lackluster movie. The 2018 remake does more than just reestablish the story, it redefines what love looks like.

From the moment Ally (Lady Gaga) and Jack (Cooper) lay eyes on each other in the drag bar, they are enthralled with each other. The movie includes so many scenes that get stuck in the audience’s memory, but one of the most prominent ones comes after a night of singing and bar-fighting.

By Ally punching a man who insults Jack by pestering him for a picture, she shows her first signs of love. After Jack takes her to a local grocery store to buy frozen peas for her sore hand, they bond in a parking lot. Their conversation leads to the creation of one of the hit songs of the movie, “Shallow.”

Not only does this number pull Ally on stage for the first time with Jack, it sets up the entire plot of the movie. The chorus says, “I’m off the deep end. Watch as I dive in. I`ll never hit the ground. Crash through the surface where they can’t hurt us. We’re far from the shallow now.”

Ally and Jack taking a leap of faith to jump into the deep end with each other even though the odds are against them makes this movie so impactful. True love is not relinquished through adversity, opposing visions, and in Jack’s case, a struggle with alcoholism and addiction.

This movie comes at a time when some form of addiction can be found in every corner of our country. Not only do Gaga and Cooper perfectly portray what addiction can do to a relationship, they give insight to a possible way to handle an addiction. One of the biggest takeaways from this movie is knowing that unapologetic love and support is needed in any relationship, even the broken ones.

Although Ally and Jack have their time apart, they both know that the love they share never fades. This is shown when they reconcile and begin to rebuild their marriage. Through the drunken nights, the Grammy embarrassment and the fiery jealously, Ally still loves Jack for who he is.

By getting to watch their story and be a part of a love that is seemingly hard to find, the audience is able to feel the emotions of Ally as she sings her song “I’ll Never Love Again.” This song comes at the very end of the movie after the fights are over, the bottles are empty and a life is gone.

The most touching part about this scene will not be found in the movie itself. During the production of this scene, a close friend of Gaga’s passed away from cancer. On the day of taping, she ended up leaving set to be with her friend’s family. When she returned to set, she ended up singing and finishing the scene out. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gaga used the word “gentle” to describe how Cooper took care of her during her struggle with the scene. Ultimately, she powered through and portrayed immense strength through her character.

This movie has so much to give an audience. Between the relatable narrative and the catchy songs, anyone who watches can take something incredible away from the picture.