‘A Star Is Born’ Earns a Standing Ovation at Venice Film Festival
It’s not often that a remake receives almost universal acclaim, but Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut has done just that with A Star Is Born.
Starring Cooper and Lady Gaga, in her movie debut, A Star Is Born is the third remake of the 1937 original, telling the story of an old rocker and a rising star, and the beauty and heartbreak of their love as one fades whilst the other rises.
The film “is a total emotional knockout, but it’s also a movie that gets you to believe, at every step, in the complicated rapture of the story it’s telling” says Variety, calling it “a reminder of the scrappy grand passion that movies are all about.”
It’s “outrageously watchable and colossally enjoyable” according to The Guardian.
“Cooper’s version proves that there’s always a way to freshen up old material” says Time, “it’s wonderful to see a first-time director who’s more interested in effective storytelling than in impressing us.”
The two stars have both been praised, with Time calling Gaga “the star of this whole show” whilst IndieWire says she “is resplendent as a diamond-in-the-rough singer whose booming voice and subtle expressions would make her predecessors proud” and Cooper delivers “his best, most soulful performance whilst pulling double duty behind the camera.” The Wrap says “Cooper and Lady Gaga are dynamite together; this is a story that lives and dies by the central relationship and the instant chemistry that must blossom between them, and these two have it in spades.”
The film’s Venice premiere was literally struck by lightening and went on to receive a standing ovation. If the reviews are any indication, then lightening may well strike twice when it opens October 5th.
Chris is a lifelong fan of Disney, Star Wars and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the MNN team.
