A Star Is Born Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

4. The Sharp Commentary On Fame & The Music Industry

It would've been a majorly missed opportunity for a film like this not to take some shots at the celebrity condition, and that it most certainly does.

As Jackson talks to Ally about the weirdness of people only referring to him by his full name and we see people taking "creepshots" of him with their phones, one suspects there's more than a little truth stemming from Cooper's own experiences with fame.

Once Ally's success takes hold, the film also riffs in a broad sense on the soullessness of the pop music industry, with Ally's enterprising manager Rez (Rafi Gavron) cementing just how superficial and trend-focused it can be. This is juxtaposed against the weathered, cynical mindset of Jackson, who has already been in Ally's position years before, and wants to pry her away from it.

It's especially interesting as Gaga herself is of course part of the pop music sausage factory - undeniably talented though she is - so it lends the film an added layer of self-reflexiveness.