A Star Is Born

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Rob G So I just completed a marathon of all 4 “A Star is Born” movies. Here is my assessment of each in oder from Best to Least good. In all 4, a young, talented woman is discovered by an older, declining male star. They fall in love, marry, and her career rises while his falls due to addiction. Tragedy strikes when he dies by suicide, prompting her emotional tribute at the end. 2018 – The best version starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Deals with the modern music industry. The music is really good in this one. Not sure I really buy the chemistry of the two actors. Cooper plays his role as a complete mess really well. 1954 – This could have been the best had it now been for some minor flaws. Stars Judy Garland and James Mason. Very good production and both actors do a great job. Seems overly long and the musical numbers are dated by today’s standard. Had they not committed so much to the musical numbers, I would have rated it the best version. Also, minor annoyance comes from having the longer restored scenes added as some of the video is lost and replaced with still photos while the audio continues which is very annoying. 1937 – Stars Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. This is the shorter of the group. They could have made it longer and developed the characters more but, hey, it was 1937. 1976 – Stars Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson does a good job in his role. However, I wish they had got a really Outlaw Country or Rock artist to portray the female lead. Streisand’s music just doesn’t cut it for what they were trying to pull off. As a result, it’s a little hard to watch. Also, does he commit suicide in the end or just have an accident? Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/21/25 Full Review Don S watch this movie and you have to recall Judy Garland's real life, who sings and performs like that, amazing! can't believe some of the film is lost, come on man, but great effort to put it together. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review Jeff M Sometimes a movie's biggest asset can also be its biggest liability. Garland basically steamrolls through this movie, blowing everyone away like an F5 tornado from TWISTER. It may be the single greatest "movie star" performance recorded on film. It's no wonder this is the Holy Grail to Garland fanatics. The trouble is, she so overpowers the film that her partner in crime Mason gets lost in her dust. Even at the beginning, when he is supposed to be the big star and she the struggling actress, she is such an overpowering presence that it feels off kilter. Except for some nice moments toward the end, Mason basically has no choice but to sit back and watch the whirlwind. As a result of all this, it doesn't quite have the emotional kick in the gut that the 2018 version has. Also, at nearly three hours long, it becomes a bit exhausting at times, and a couple of the musical numbers go on way too long. But none of this matters a bit when Garland is on screen - you just sit back and enjoy a trip back to the golden age of Hollywood. If an alien came to planet Earth and asked for the definition of a movie star, just invite it to a screening of this movie and no explanation needed. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Alec B Its basically just an expanded version of the original, designed to be mostly a showcase for Garland, not that I mind because she's truly fantastic in every single moment. I think its the best version of this story. Cukor and Hart wisely jettison most of the soft hitting satire in favor of making something of a tragic, semi-musical comedy. As great as Garland is, she's equally matched by Mason. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Kyle M The 1937 beginning set up a narrative that would unexpectedly inspire generational, modernizing retellings mostly two decades apart with each offering their own achieved edges. The 1976 modernization towards musicians' stages fared well over chemistry and leading vocal, while the 2018 latest welcoming favored in the directorial gimmick astonishes by talents with enough pitch to rank superiorly. All that in viewing order without the 1954 superiorly acclaimed classic due to unavailability then. Finally got the chance to see what supposedly Judy Garland's greatest feat is arguably the best out of them all. Director George Cukar (a practice before "My Fair Lady") thematically aligned the film as commentary towards shifting star power within the changing industry while contributing under inspiration towards the genre's obligatory grandness onto the sequences that typically dazzles backed up by energetic tunes. Writer Moss Hart remade the preceding original with emphasized elements adding onto the contexts, which the cast brilliantly fulfilled expressively as their performances transcends in empathetic resonance, particularly the main pair even though Garland and Jason Mason's chemistry weren't explored much minus their shared, convincing genuineness. Garland, after a troubled history that now plagues her earlier ironic roles, relishes in her comeback performance like a free spirit grappling true ethical approach, professionally uplifting her purified caliber. (A-) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/11/23 Full Review Marvin H Breathtaking musical. Judy gives one of the greatest performances of all time. She should have won an academy award but it doesn't matter at all. One of the all time greats! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Star Is Born

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