Tanya’s Score: Good-and-a-half*
Rated: 14A
Starring: a couple of actors, a couple of singers, a couple of stand-up comics
Plot: An established musician suffering from alcoholism (Bradley Cooper) takes a burgeoning star (Lady Gaga) under his wing. Just as his stardom starts to fade, hers begins to skyrocket.
Tanya’s Verdict: This movie has been getting a lot of buzz – and for very good reason. Though the plot is pretty tired and some of the scenes drag on a bit longer than necessary, and there are SO MANY f-bombs, two things buoyed this movie up for me: the acting (Lady Gaga is pretty great and Bradley Cooper turns in what IMHO is his best performance to date) and the songs. Yes there is singing — but don’t get your knickers in a knot – A Star is Born is NOT a musical in the same sense that Grease is a musical or that La La Land is a musical. Both main characters are singers – and so their singing occurs naturally as performances throughout the movie’s plot. I enjoyed this one — and have a feeling there will be a few Oscars in the air come February.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great