Lady Gaga shows her range in classic Hollywood love story ‘A Star Is Born’
Lady Gaga, the pop star better known for provocative lyrics and outlandish outfits, turned in a transformative performance as Ally, a waitress-turned-pop star in the fourth version of the classic Hollywood story "A Star Is Born." Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, an established rock star toward the end of his career, who discovers Ally in a drag bar after one of his own shows. The two fall in love as his career declines and hers takes off. Plus, learn the English phrase "down to earth."
Also in Today's Lesson
Transcript
Lady Gaga was magnificent in A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga turned in a transformative appearance in A Star Is Born, the classic Hollywood love story between a man on his way down and a younger female star on her way up.
Greetings, welcome back, you are listening to Plain English, a great podcast for learning English. We go nice and slow on the audio, so you can catch every word. And if you need some extra help, we have full transcripts of every episode on our web site, absolutely free. The transcripts have interactive translations from English to Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, and Italian. For today’s transcript, just go to PlainEnglish.com/104. And a quick reminder that our e-mail community is a great way to learn even more about English. You can read articles about the main topics and learn additional words from each episode—all free, twice a week, right to your inbox. To join our email community, visit PlainEnglish.com/mail and enter your details.
I hope you had a nice weekend. Like always, I’m Jeff in Chicago; the producer of the program is JR in Dallas. You never know where JR is going to be, but he’s in Dallas these days. I haven’t ever really done a movie review yet, so let me give you a little warning. No spoilers exactly. I will talk about the overall plot, the sort of thing you might get in a trailer, but I won’t give you any spoilers: I won’t give away any crucial details of the movie, like the part when—. Just kidding. No details. I’ll drop a few hints, so if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about, but if you haven’t seen it, I won’t ruin it for you. So here we go.
Lady Gaga and Bradly Cooper impress in ‘A Star Is Born’
You know Hollywood loves remakes, and there are some stories it can’t help but remake over and over. “A Star is Born” is one of those stories. The first version came out in 1937 and starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. The 1954 version starred singer Judy Garland; in 1976 it was Barbra Streisand’s turn to play the aspiring star. And now in 2018, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper played the protagonists.
The details have varied over the years, but the story arc is the same: an established male star past his peak finds and cultivates an up-and-coming female talent, only to see his own fame and stardom eclipsed by girl he promoted. This being Hollywood, the two always fall in love.
In 2018, director Bradley Cooper also stars as the popular country music singer Jackson Maine. The film opens with him on stage, obviously drunk, playing before a huge and adoring crowd. He polishes off a bottle of liquor in the car after the show and goes into a drag bar in West Hollywood, just looking for a place to drink some more. While he’s there, he sees Ally perform “La Vie en Rose” in perfect French. Struck by her performance, he invites her out to a late night bar, and the two quickly become attached.
Ally, played by Lady Gaga, is a waitress who occasionally performs at the bar. She had dreams of stardom, but everyone always told her that although she had a beautiful voice, her nose was too big. Jackson Maine gradually pushes her forward to stardom, inviting her on the stage with him, and giving her the confidence to step out on her own.
Jackson Maine is what you would call a flawed hero. He’s got a great voice and inspires millions of fans. But he drinks too much, passes out in public, gets in bar fights, and, when the alcohol isn’t enough, he supplements it with pills. But he is the first man to treat Ally like a star in her own right; the first man to believe in her and her talents.
Lady Gaga turned in a transformative performance as Ally. She had been known for her provocative lyrics and visual experimentation: she once attended the MTV Video Music Awards in a dress made of raw meat. But she emerged as a thoughtful, emotionally deep actress. As Ally, she supports Jackson as he crashes from one personal crisis to another; she fights out of her father’s shadow in her own house; she takes tentative steps toward stardom; and, when she’s captured the hearts of her fans, she deals with the demands of a sleazy manager. Her performance is the kind of thing American audiences love: a relatable, down-to-earth character, the kind of person you meet every day, finally hitting it big in the music industry.
Bradley Cooper also played his part well. Through his troubled eyes and graying beard, he showed the heavy emotional burdens he carried from a difficult childhood through a turbulent run as a music star. He showed glimpses of his true self when he was with Ally, only to put up his celebrity façade or fade into intoxication when things turned bad.
The film had a few flaws. The scene at the Grammy’s was too much. It attempted to show the depths to which Jackson had fallen and the damage his fall was doing to Ally’s career, but the actual events it showed were too unrealistic. It’s too bad, because the scene at the Grammy’s wasn’t even necessary to develop that overall point. The secondary plotline between Jackson and his brother had both too much and too little detail: some details, like everything about the father’s farm, seemed to add nothing to the storyline; then the issue of his hearing, which could have illustrated more about Jackson’s character, was a point that was left only half-made.
But these are minor quibbles. The film delivers raw, heartbreaking emotion; we see a brilliant side of Lady Gaga that the world has never seen before; and both she and Bradley Cooper surprised me with the quality of their voices. Bradley Cooper sang all his own parts in the film, and he has a great voice.
I did not know—listen to this—I did not know until after the movie was over, that Ally was played by Lady Gaga. I was in shock. I was like, that was Lady Gaga? Really? Just based on the topics I pick, you all might have been able to guess that I’m not really into celebrities and things like that. I don’t remember actors’ names and I don’t watch awards shows, so the world of Hollywood celebrities is a little foreign to me. I thought, gosh that actress has a great voice and I’ve never seen her in anything before. It’s Lady Gaga. I had no idea.
My favorite time of the program, where I say hi to some listeners. Maria is from Mexico, but is a musician and music teacher in Italy. She listens to Plain English as she cooks both Italian and Mexican food. I just love that. I can close my eyes and imagine an Italian kitchen, with the aroma of two of my favorite kinds of food in the air, Italian and Mexican, and the mellifluous sounds of Plain English on the radio. I love it.
Also hello and thank you to Luis and his wife Victoria in Guatemala City, Gabriel from Sao Paulo, Rodrigo from Sao Paolo, Andreina from the Dominican Republic, Adam from Hungary (living in Denmark now), and Ronaldo from Novo Hamburgo in Brazil. Thanks to all of you for listening and sending us notes this week. If you’d like to be in touch, maybe let me know if you agree with my assessment of A Star Is Born, send me a note to jeff@plainenglish.com. Did you also think that scene at the Grammy’s was too much? I’m curious.
¿Hablas español?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into Spanish. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .
How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
你说中国话？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parlez-vous français?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Você fala português?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
日本語は話せますか？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parli italiano?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sen Türkçe konuşmayı biliyor musun?
The transcripts of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Turkish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Mówisz po polsku?
The transcript of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Polish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Audio
The fast version of this lesson is available for subscribers of Plain English Plus+.