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35. A Star Is Born (1976)

Karo: 21
KBM: 23
Johnbobb: 24
Inviso: 30
Genny: 31
JONA: 31
Scarlet: 32

Karo - This is a remake of the 1952 film except everyone is singers instead of actors. It doesnt drag on as much as its predecessor, but commits one unspeakable sin. It fucks up the ending. The guy does not commit suicide, but rather just dies randomly in a car accident. All meaning of his death is now gone, replaced by arbitrary bullshit.
Also, Streisand just doesnt feel right playing the character of an 'ordinary girl', and it makes her rise to stardom feel empty somehow.
It ends up being a glossed up remake in the vein of Disney - without much of a point, no reason for its existence, and shits on everything about the original.

Score: 54/100

Best Song: 'I Believe in Love'

KBM - Why I Chose It: Aside from the fact that it's one of three musical adaptations of this story and I decided to include all of them, this also was nominated for several major awards, winning an Oscar for Best Original Song (Evergreen), as well as five Golden Globes, including for Streisand, Kristofferson, and the Best Picture Musical or Comedy award. Though it received a lukewarm reception from critics, especially as compared with the other versions, it was a major box office hit in 1976, and remains a favorite of many to this day, especially among Barbra's fanbase.

My Thoughts: It's A Star Is Born... but with a generous helping of 70s sexy! This is such a blatant vanity project for Barbra Streisand, and yet, it's not like there aren't things to enjoy about it. The soundtrack, featuring contributions from several different major pop composers of the '70s, including Paul Williams, Kenny Loggins, and Streisand herself, has a lot of really good songs, and Barbra sings them beautifully. I particularly like the Paul Williams/Kenny Ascher-penned numbers The Woman in the Moon and Watch Closely Now from a compositional perspective. Still, despite her beautiful singing voice, Barbra does tend to feel distractingly miscast at times, with Kristofferson proving the much more interesting character study in this version. Even though it's shorter than both the 1954 and 2018 versions, I also feel like this is the one with the biggest pacing problems, with nowhere near the same level of emotional impact as the other two takes on the story. It's worth it for the stronger songs on the soundtrack, but from a storytelling perspective, this one kind of falls flat.

Favorite Song: Finale: With One More Look at You / Watch Closely Now

Johnbobb - Funny enough, my thoughts on this A Star is Born are kind of opposite to my thoughts on the 1954 version. While I feel like in '54 Audrey Hepburn really had to carry the rest of the cast, I feel like that role falls onto Kris Kristofferson here, who plays a disturbingly convincing rock star on a steep decline. Barbara Streishand can sing, sure, but she can't really act the same way that Hepburn and Gaga could in their respective takes on the same role. Of the three Star is Born musicals, this is definitely the weakest, but it's not by a particularly huge gap. That being said, being the 3rd best of a movie that's been made 3 times (not counting the original) isn't exactly a compliment either.

Inviso - This one really suffers from being a remake, and being a remake of a movie that we already had to watch for this list (spoilers for 1954s placement). Nothing about this film really works for me. Barbara Streisand is a fine actress, and she has had good performances in films weve watched before (I think I had Funny Girl in my top five on the prior list). But in the role of a nave, young songstressshe just lacks the innocence. She comes across as extremely mature, right off the bat, and the film doesnt do a good job of building her up over time. Shes just immediately thrust into the spotlight, and this where I think this version pales compared to the 1954 version. Judy Garlands character is more than just a musician: shes a musician-turned-actress. And I think this allows for a greater display of progression as a character. Barbara doesnt get this. One moment shes a back-up singer (who looks completely out of place in that role), and she just skyrockets to a Grammy, without any real sense of pitfalls along the way.

It doesnt help that the male lead is awful in this, again, comparing negatively to the 1954 version. Were introduced to him as this big rock star with a massive stadium filled with cheering fansyet hes just CONSTANTLY a dick to everyone around him. It is utterly baffling that someone like him would give enough of a shit to try and help boost Barbaras profile. But more than thatthe change from a washed-up movie star to a washed-up musicianit completely fails the story. It makes SENSE for someone to be unable to grow with the times in the movie business. A lot of actors and actresses fill a niche role at a certain age, and they cant adapt as they get older. But likethe Rolling Stones are still fucking touring, for fucks sake. Its baffling to think this guy could spiral so far, so hard, as a musician. Which perhaps accounts for how much of a complete shithead he isto justify his eventual death. It just doesnt work for me at all.

Genny - I like Barbara Streisand, but this iteration of A Star is Born did the least for me for reasons I can't explain. I think a part of it was her counterpart. Both Norman and Jackson Maine were more charismatic, and I just didn't connect as well with this version of a character I felt I'd seen before.

JONA - While Barbara Streisand is great and has some nice performances of the songs, the songs themselves are unmemorable and there is no chemistry between her and Kris Kristofferson. Take those factors and combine that with a long, boring, but not outright bad, runtime of two and a half hours and youve got an unenjoyable time.
Favorite Song: N/A

Scarlet - The worst of the Born-Star quadrilogy, Kristofferson and Streisand just dont have a script to work with or the best of chemistry. The editing is also bizarre, smacking of low budget incompetence. But, hey! Gary Busey shows up.
Best Song: Watch Closely Now