Born This Way

A STAR IS BORN (A-minus) - Bradley Cooper rediscovers the power of one of Hollywood's original cautionary tales. And he inhabits the role of the drunken, over-the-hill country rocker who discovers a young woman brimming with talent.

Lady Gaga is prodigiously watchable as Ally, a bit of a Plain Jane who can belt 'em out. She and Cooper's Jack fall in love, and we wince as he falls apart and her career rockets straight to the Grammys. Their chemistry is solid, the dialogue feels lived in, the songs are authentic, and the story arc always remains plausible. For mainstream movie-making, that's quite an accomplishment.

Both actors can tug at the heart strings. A strong supporting cast includes Sam Elliott as Jack's older brother (who manages Jack's career and deflects their daddy issues) and Rafi Gavron as Ally's no-nonsense svengali. This clocks in at an epic 2 hours, 16 minutes, but very few frames seem wasted. This is a labor of love by two artists -- Cooper and Gaga -- who, like their characters, crossed paths at just the right time to help erase the cheesiness of the '70s version of this iconic Everyman tale.

OH LUCY! (B) - This curiosity has charm to burn, even if it meanders too often and doesn't leave much of an aftertaste. Shinobu Terajima stars as Setsuko, renamed Lucy at an English class she attends in Tokyo in place of her niece. When the teacher, John (Josh Hartnett), and the niece disappear to California, Lucy and her sister head after them. What follows is a sloppy, sweet road movie with a twist of culture clash. The mood is often melancholy and fatalistic, but Terajima is so winning that you don't mind.

BONUS TRACK
Cooper's opening track, with Lukas Nelson, the grungy "Black Eyes":