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Created Apr 13, 2019 04:20AM PST • Edited Apr 13, 2019 05:55PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga got themselves the best Star is Born of the past half-century. Think about it, Cooper & Gaga beat Kristofferson and Streisand all to hell, he the better actor, she the better rock singer.

   Nevermind that Cooper’s major moviestar turn as a rootsy rockstar with a raging alcohol problem gets upstaged by the one-and-only Lady Gaga. He not only didn’t mind, he couldn’t of been happier. Life imitated art, since he cast and directed the new Lady Moviestar in his huge Hollywood production.

   It’s a post-feminist romantic drama. He rescues her and then needs her to rescue him. It helps that they share their art, singer-songwriters of terrific songs. Their duets, in particular, create a powerful bond.

   The movie loses energy about half way through, right after delivering a stunning scene when Lady Gaga first joins Cooper onstage to sing Shallow, their Oscar-winning song — a perfect star-is-born moment.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   The surprise isn’t that Gaga is a fabulous singer. We knew that. It’s that she’s a more than creditable actor, and Cooper a more than creditable singer.

   As for him, the eyes have it, i.e., he has great command of his eyes, perhaps the most essential power that a movie actor must possess in this medium of oversized closeups. Cooper’s go from bright and blue to blurry and buzzed, to dark and hollow at the bitter end. Magnificent.

5. Male Stars Great 4.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    A Star is Born

    I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in.

11. Direction Very Good 3.5

12. Play Good 3.0

13. Music Perfect 5.0

    Bravo!

14. Visuals Good 3.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.2

17. Sex Titillating 2.5

18. Violence Gentle 1.5

19. Rudeness Profane 2.7

21. Reality

    Glib 1.7

22. Circumstantial Surreal 2.6

23. Biological Glib 1.6

24. Physical Natural 1.0