A Star Is Born (1976)

Fantastic!

Excellent but underrated film

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I finally watched the 1976 version of A Star is Born on Netflix. I was a teen when it came out and Streisand & Kristofferson were about as far from Rock and Roll as I could imagine at the time, so I had no interest in seeing it (for decades). But since it wasn't going to cost me anything, and since I have a love of the "so bad it's good" genre of film--especially when it's a big budget studio movie--I decided to give it a chance. The movie was both better and worse than I'd expected. The acting and filming of it was better than expected (as I alluded to before, I had REALLY low expectations). But the SONGS! The songs were SO MUCH WORSE than I could have ever imagined! Kristofferson is apparently supposed to be a Dylan-like figure, but his "deep" tunes are like bad junior high poetry. And they are very poorly suited to his limited vocal talents. They would have done much better to just let the man sing his own classics his own way. Thousands of people are filling stadia to see this guy? Ha. And Streisand's songs are just as ludicrous, filled with stupid lyrics sung to equally idiotically childish tunes. Their dumbness levels rival songs from old Elvis movies like "Do the Clam," except they are not catchy and fun. The only good song is the Oscar winning "Evergreen." If you're into MOR ballads. Anyway, it just boggles the mind that these tunes got the go-ahead. BUT if it didn't have the horrible songs, would the movie be "so bad it's good"? Nah, it'd just be another lame movie, probably.

I had to search high and low till I found some definitive info about the Bradley Cooper / Lady Gaga remake, and that plot is basically closest to this film, but with country music instead of rock and pop. So I decided to give this film another look, and I was glad I did.Initially, I had hated this movie, and that had to be because I was too familiar with both stars' music and personas, and I, like a lot of others, distanced myself from the characters and the story, and could not give the film a chance.But something strange happened when I watched it again, with a distance of many years, and with the two stars having passed into legend status and not so ubiquitous or familiar now...I actually bought into the story ( for the most part - sorry, but no way a crowd waiting to see a beloved hard rock band is going to sit still for any lounge act shtick, much less cheer for it ), I believed the two admired each other's talents, I believed they worked together on music, I believed they loved each other ( yes, some of the love scenes are cringe-worthy, but now only because watching any couple being extra lovey-dovey is basically cringe-worthy ), I enjoyed looking at the hair and clothing ( although most of it was outdated even for that time period ), and I actually teared up at the end (!?, yep, I did ).So, due to the fact that this film is now just as dated as the other three, it is now just as enjoyable, and I advise giving it another chance.

It was beautiful and timeless. Whether Streisand Fan or not, the chemistry was perfect and they both did a great job. The music was amazing and if you want a movie that is worth taking the time to see, this is it. I have watched it many times over the years and never get sick of it. Like Love Story, you know the characters well and feel you are there with them. Like a good book that you won't want to put down. Of course, the classic The Way we were was amazing too. Streisand is an amazing artist all the way around. Many would say love stories are chick flicks...but not for those who are in love or ever have been. I still consider this a modern day love story. Everyone should have this love once in a lifetime. Other titles you would love if you like this one or others I have mentioned in this review are, Out of Africa with Meryl Streep and Bridges over Madison county with Streep and Eastwood. Finally an unlikely love story that was very entertaining is Mr. & Mrs, Smith of course. I love stories that have many emotions and make me believe..again.

Having seen the Janet Gaynor/Fredric March dramatic 1937 classic many times and the Judy Garland/James Mason musical 1954 masterpiece also quite a few, I went into my viewing of this (my second time, and first in many years) a bit cynical. I proved my cynicism to be part wrong but mostly right. But what I realized why this version has no real impact is that the title implies something that really doesn't work. The two stars have fantastic chemistry, Streisand allows herself to go low down (even into the mud), and the movie does take you into the wild world of rock. The problem is that I never believed Kris Kristofferson to be a rock star even though it was obvious that he was emulating a few performers of the time. This is sort of the "Mahogany" of the rock world, like "The Eyes of Laura Mars" was of the photography world. Then, there is the problem with Streisand. She is way too big to be believable as a nobody when Kristofferson first meets her in some Los Angeles dive and takes her under his wing. Even though Garland's talent was big, she was able to transcend the fact that her version of Esther Blodgett had not yet been lucky. Lacking Garland's vulnerability, Streisand's Esther Hoffman seems like someone who by her mid 30's should have been doing live concerts in Central Park like "Mahogany's" Miss Ross.So the beginning of the film does really stretch the line of credibility, but once Streisand's rise begins, she begins to become a bit more believable. What I see here in Streisand as compared to her earlier performances and more recent film work is a desire to command focus. This was also apparent in the previous year's "Funny Lady" where a lot of the heart was missing from her Oscar Winning performance in "Funny Girl". The intensity of Streisand's drive really works in the dramatic scenes, and there are some adorable romantic moments between Kristofferson and Streisand that inject comedy into the romance. I just can't believe either character lighting dozens of candles to place around the huge bathtub in their desert home before their love scene, nor did I feel any emotion at the end where Kristofferson takes drastic steps to ensure his wife's future.A better title for the film could simply have been "Evergreen", the title of the Oscar Winning song that describes the romance between the two. This version becomes more like "A Star is Delayed". In a sense, too, I have to also call this version a mistake, not only because of much of the mediocrity and the multiple feelings the film makes an attempt to express, but there is something cutthroat about the world of rock music where this obvious build-up to soap opera just doesn't make you really want to care about the characters. That world would be much better explored a few years later when Bette Midler got ahold of it and played a performer much like Janis Joplin in "The Rose". Its total lack of sentiment actually made you care more about her; In this "A Star is Born", it feels too forced, and left me cold.