A Star Is Born

THE GIST: Jackson Maine is a once famous country singer whose career is on a steady decline. One night, he walks into a bar where Ally, a waitress whose hopes of becoming a professional singer-songwriter never materialized, is performing onstage. He's impressed by her talent and they hit it off right away. After coaxing her to sing on stage with him, to great success, Jackson invites her to tour with him. Soon after, Ally's career quickly takes off, while Jackson's rapidly craters, brought down faster by his ongoing addiction issues.

Directed by Bradley Cooper, this version of A Star Is Born is the fifth iteration of the same basic story, and it's certainly a welcome new take.

Cooper stars as the aging male star who falls for the young female unknown, here played by Lady Gaga, who does an admirable job. Both were nominated for Best Lead Actor/Actress Oscars, together with Sam Elliott for his Supporting role as Cooper's disillusioned brother.

While Gaga's singing talents are well known, it's impressive to witness Cooper perform as if he was a consummate singer. A true revelation.

The film also earned nominations for Best Picture, Screenplay, Cinematography, and Sound Mixing, and took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Lady Gaga's "Shallow."

THE BOTTOM LINE: Plenty of great music, an uplifting and heartwrenching love story, and excellent performances. I'm there!

Grade: 8