A Star Is Born

Critics Consensus

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.

89%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 485

80%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 18,509

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Movie Info

In "A Star Is Born," Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fuse their considerable talents to depict the raw and passionate tale of Jack and Ally, two artistic souls coming together, on stage and in life. Theirs is a complex journey through the beauty and the heartbreak of a relationship struggling to survive. 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.

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Cast

Lady Gaga
as Ally
Bradley Cooper
as Jackson Maine
Sam Elliott
as Bobby
Andrew Dice Clay
as Lorenzo
Dave Chappelle
as George "Noodles" Stone
Rafi Gavron
as Rez Gavron
Anthony Ramos
as Ramon
Alec Baldwin
as Himself
Marlon Williams
as Himself
Brandi Carlile
as Herself
Ron Rifkin
as Carl
Barry Shabaka Henley
as Little Feet
Michael D. Roberts
as Matty
Michael Harney
as Wolfie
Rebecca Field
as Gail
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News & Interviews for A Star Is Born

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Critic Reviews for A Star Is Born

All Critics (485) | Top Critics (56)

  • What really works about this version is the fact that Bradley Cooper co-wrote it, he produced it and stars in it, and put it together but he incorporates little elements of Lady Gaga's Story.

    Mar 21, 2019 | Full Review…

    tt stern-enzi

    WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)
    Top Critic

  • Somehow, though, the bloat is almost appropriate in a story about excesses, and the devastating pitfalls of fame. "A Star is Born" portrays both poignantly, movingly, well.

    Oct 18, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Randy Myers

    San Jose Mercury News
    Top Critic

  • At its huge, pulsating heart this is a story about lovers desperately trying to save one another - from the loss of integrity in an industry that disdains it and from self-destructive impulses with roots too old and deep to be touched.

    Oct 10, 2018 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

    Matthew Norman

    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • Co-written by Cooper, who also helped write some of the film's music, the script doesn't exactly bubble with wit but it doesn't have to. What matters is that it gives both leads the chance to charm one another - and us.

    Oct 9, 2018 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Sandra Hall

    Sydney Morning Herald
    Top Critic

  • The problem is whenever Cooper turns the film away from his best asset (Gaga) and into a vanity production.

    Oct 8, 2018 | Full Review…

    Gary M. Kramer

    Salon.com
    Top Critic

  • What Cooper persuasively depicts is the fear factor of stardom-the sense of vulnerability, of a position that's both powerful and fragile.

    Oct 8, 2018 | Full Review…

    Richard Brody

    New Yorker
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (485)

Audience Reviews for A Star Is Born

  • Mar 28, 2019
    This was sort of a weird movie for me. Here's the thing: this movie is manipulative as hell, don't try to deny it. It's tear porn, and it's explicit and deliberate in is manipulative intentions. However, I can't deny that the manipulation works and I was weirdly never bothered by the manipulation. It doesn't have the same sense of grotesque self-importance that something like This is Us on TV or any number of Oscar bait movies past have had in their tear-porn intentions. There's something about A Star is Born that feels much more genuine in its motivations. It feels, dare I say, grittier. I think a big part of that is Bradley Cooper's direction, he makes the whole thing feel real and grounded and keeps us with him. It's an over-the-top and melodramatic story, but somehow he directs it in a way that never feels that way, which is honestly a work of magic on his part. This really isn't the type of movie I'd normally be into, and honestly from the trailers I thought it looked like s***, but hey, when it works it work, and this works.
    Michael M Super Reviewer
  • Feb 24, 2019
    I regret not seeing it in the cinema as the cinematography and music are outstanding. In interviews, Gaga has said the authentic version of herself is the theatrical one we see in concerts and music videos. But, in this movie, we see her raw and that's the version that makes the biggest impact. The film sinks in the middle of the second act.
    Aldo G Super Reviewer
  • Feb 23, 2019
    The much discussed "Shallow" sequence is as great as everyone says (the song is beautiful and Gaga sells the hell out of it), the rest of the movie has strong moments but the narrative is a little disjointed and I don't think the ending earns its emotional climax. Still, this ultimately falls on the better end of "A Star is Born" remakes.
    Alec B Super Reviewer
  • Feb 05, 2019
    Each A Star Is Born is a product of its time, and this one is no different: made in a digital era of viral videos and pop stars that can be born overnight, this is an infinitely more realistic and sincere version (both in plot and structure) compared to all others before.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
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