WORTH A LOOK?: *****
RUN TIME: 2 hours and 16 minutes
WHEN?: UK release 3/10/18
We’re big fans of Lady Gaga and listened to the soundtrack of this before seeing the film which convinced us that we just had to make a trip to the cinema for it.
- Read on for reasons including why this is a film very much deserving its Oscar buzz
Lady Gaga may have won an Emmy for her appearance in American Horror Story but for us it was a performance of such scene-stealing scenery-chewing that we felt it was more deserving of a Golden Raspberry. It did prove, however, that she can commit to a role.
The back-to-basics approach of her most recent LP Joanne makes much more sense within the context of this movie. Here she plays waitress-come-captivating performer Ally who catches the eye of Bradley Cooper’s frazzled and tinnitus-ridden rock star Jackson Maine while performing in the drag bar she used to work in.
They become lovers and he coaxes from within her the confidence to present her songs to the world and ultimately to perform them. There’s a real chemistry between the 2 which makes what follows (this is the 3rd remake of this particular story) all the more shocking and affecting.
Cooper directed and gives a fine performance (although we’re not great fans of his songs) but it is Gaga who nails it, first as the reluctant singer/songwriter and then as the consummate star.
The final song (see below) is unmistakably Lady Gaga but also reminds of showstopping Whitney Houston and there are several similarities here with her beloved film The Bodyguard.
It’s a bit early for Oscar buzz but Gaga’s deserving and the song above is very much suited to stealing the show on the big night itself.
monstagigz 
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