A Star Is Born

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A Star Is Born

R

Released Dec 17, 1976

2h 20m

Drama

Romance

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

37%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A rock star on the decline, John Norman Howard has given in to drugs and excessive drinking, and his music has suffered as a result. Wandering into a club one night, John watches singer Esther Hoffman perform and is smitten. The two begin dating, and soon John lets Esther take the spotlight during his concerts. However, even as Esther finds fame and success with her singing, John continues his downward spiral.

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Critics Consensus

A lack of memorable music, chemistry between its leads, and an overlong runtime prompts this modish iteration of A Star is Born to fizzle out quickly.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Streisand has more talent than she knows what to do with, and the heart of a lion. But she's made a movie about the unassuming, unaffected person she wants us to think she is, and the image is so truthless she can't play it.

Jan 22, 2024

Full Review

Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

A Star is Born rarely stops seeming manufactured; it can't disguise its manipulations or the process of the storytelling. You see the tangled strings, not the puppets.

Mar 6, 2019

Full Review

Jay Cocks

TIME Magazine

The trouble with rock 'n' roll in A Star Is Born is that there isn't any. The soundtrack is filled with homogenized harmonics passing for rock, but not a single song is good enough even to be counterfeit.

Mar 6, 2019

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Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

For all its faults, I enjoyed A Star is Born. It's a chemistry experiment, and the chemistry -- between the stars -- is good.

May 9, 2023

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Nat Freedland

Billboard

... In a way this lavish epic could be titled Funny Girl meets Rock 'N' Roll.

Mar 24, 2023

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Alison Fell

Spare Rib

Get the old message, girls, and in pounding stereo -- you still can't have a career and a man. Not that your man will actively hold you back -- he'll just destroy himself in protest.

Sep 22, 2021

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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 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/21/25

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Katherine C

This film, though not perfect, perfectly showcases Streisand and Kristofferson at their artistic peak. This is also the film where Streisand cements herself as the greatest popular vocalist of the 20th century.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

Full Review

Cameron F

I had the vinyl soundtrack for six years and have never heard any singer before or since with the otherworldly control and pitch perfection of Streisand. I’ve also never seen a movie which is worse than it’s soundtrack. Quite a feat! Just buy the soundtrack. It’s so much better than the movie.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

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Sue W

Best movie ever! My all time favorite! The music is fantastic and Kris and Barbra are amaizing. I have watched this movie over 200 times easily.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

Full Review

elvr j

Chemistry, music , acting are top-notch. Such a great movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

brhdn l

One of my favorite love story. Chris and Barbra are the best "a star is born" couple.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

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Frank Pierson

Director

Barbra Streisand

Esther Hoffman

Kris Kristofferson

John Norman Howard

Gary Busey

Bobbie Ritchie

Oliver Clark

Gary Danziger

Paul Mazursky

Brian

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Synopsis

A rock star on the decline, John Norman Howard has given in to drugs and excessive drinking, and his music has suffered as a result. Wandering into a club one night, John watches singer Esther Hoffman perform and is smitten. The two begin dating, and soon John lets Esther take the spotlight during his concerts. However, even as Esther finds fame and success with her singing, John continues his downward spiral.

Director: Frank Pierson
Producer: Jon Peters
Screenwriter: John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion, Frank Pierson
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 1976, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2014
Runtime: 2h 20m
Sound Mix: Surround

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