It's a little hard to judge this film since I haven't seen the three other versions on which it was based so I don't know how much new was added and how much was just lifted wholesale. Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) is a rock star grappling with increased hearing loss and rampant alcoholism. Searching for his next drink, Jack wanders into a drag bar and sees Ally (Lady Gaga) perform with the kind of fresh-faced enthusiasm he has been missing. He sweeps her into his orbit, promoting her onstage to sing with him, encouraging her songwriting talent, and being a good mentor, but as her star begins to eclipse him, he fears losing everything that made her special.
Did you notice how that whole synopsis was about him? That's because it's how the film is structured. Ally might be the eponymous star but this is Jackson Maine's story. At best, she is a supporting character even if she gets almost as much screen time. There's no effort made on her internal life, no real background for her, and no sense of who she is without Jackson. In that sense, I don't believe Gaga should get the statuette. Not for this. I do look forward to seeing her in other more dramatic work.
Bradley Cooper clearly did some work on camera. He imbues Jackson with a clumsy sweetness buried under the booze and depression. I will say that the gravelly rasp he affects is distracting. There's a moment in the film where Jackson confronts his brother, Bobby (Sam Elliott), over some long-overdue family drama, and Bobby accuses Jackson of stealing his voice. The audience in the theater laughed because they thought it was supposed to be a comment about Bradley Cooper trying to sound like Sam Elliott instead of Jackson Maine taking Bobby's promising career for himself. I don't know if Cooper deserves to win. Christian Bale is, frankly, a much better actor than Bradley Cooper and Rami Malek has a lot of buzz for his role as Freddie Mercury. I think those are the two to beat and I don't know that Cooper manages it.
As far as Sam Elliott's chances, if he wins it will be because the Academy realized what an oversight it has been that he didn't get an Oscar earlier in his career. The man's been working for over 50 years. He deserved one for Tombstone but we don't live in a just world and that year, hell, that film had too many good actors in it and no way to single them all out.
The cinematography is good; there were some very interesting angles and shots, but nothing that really took my breath away. I don't think it's a strong contender in this field.
Best Original Song is pretty much a lock, though. I worried when I was watching that I would be burned out by having heard it so many times but there really is a magic in the way it's handled. When Ally opens up for the first time to the crowd and really throws herself into the performance, it's electrifying.
Sound Mixing I don't have the first clue about. I assume it's used in this instance to create the tinnitus sound that Jackson suffers from but that's just me guessing.
That's all the categories out of the way. I would also like to point out the random cameos from Dave Chappelle and Eddie Griffin, and say that I hope to see them come back. Also, I didn't even fucking recognize Andrew Dice Clay as Ally's dad. Holy shit. I never liked him as a comedian but I am starting to like him as an actor.
No comments:
Post a Comment