In this new take on the iconic love story, four-time Oscar nominee Cooper (“American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”), makes his directorial debut, and also stars alongside multiple award-winning, Oscar-nominated music superstar Gaga in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Cooper portrays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally. She has given up on her dream to become a successful singer, until she meets Jack, who immediately sees her natural talent.
In addition to playing Ally, Gaga—who earned an Oscar nod for the song “Til It Happens to You” from the film “The Hunting Ground”—performs original songs in the film with Cooper, which they wrote with a handful of artists, including Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell and Mark Ronson. The music is original and all vocals for the movie were recorded live during filming
Even amid a long history of Hollywood remakes, few stand out like A Star is Born. There have been four total iterations of A Star Is Born spanning across 80 years (released in 1937, 1954, 1976, and now 2018). Each film tells the iconic story of a jaded male star encouraging a female entertainer to pursue a music and/or film career. The two artists fall in love, her success skyrockets, while inner turmoil and substance abuse prompts the decline of his career.
All of the ‘A Star Is Born’ movies ranked:
“A Star is Born” (2018), starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
“A Star is Born” (1954), starring Judy Garlandand James Mason.
“A Star is Born” (1937), starring Janet Gaynorand Fredric March.
“A Star is Born” (1976), starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson (and Gary Busey)
With appealing leads, deft direction, and an affecting love story, A Star Is Born is a remake done right — and a reminder that some stories can be just as effective in the retelling.
