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      A Star Is Born

      PG Released Sep 29, 1954 2h 56m Musical List
      98% 44 Reviews Tomatometer 81% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score Hollywood actor Norman Maine (James Mason) is a celebrity whose star is on the wane, but when he meets aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), he is inspired to help her, and soon the two appear in a musical together. Now known as Vicki Lester, she marries Norman and finds herself in demand, while his reputation continues to decline, resulting in heavy bouts of drinking. Eventually, Vicki must choose between moving forward with her career and attempting to save her husband. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Apr 30 Buy Now

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      Critics Consensus

      A Star is Born is a movie of grand scope and intimate moments, featuring Judy Garland's possibly greatest performance.

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      Critics Reviews

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      TIME Staff TIME Magazine All this, plus a dozen big musical sequences, makes Star a mighty long gulp of champagne; but, like champagne, it is hard to refuse. Oct 3, 2018 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Judy Garland gives everything she has as the young star on the way up; her performance is an emotional autobiography. Oct 3, 2018 Full Review Jack Moffitt Hollywood Reporter A Star Is Born is the perfect blend of drama and musical - of cinematic art and popular entertainment. Oct 3, 2018 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …friends and fans of Judy will want to see her swing successfully for the fences here in a performance that fascinates because of how it does, and does not, reflect the truth of her troubled career… Rated: 4/5 Jun 17, 2022 Full Review Herman G. Weinberg Film Culture Something of the monstrous artificiality of Hollywood comes through most acutely in various incisive touches and certainly A Star is Born will take its place among the most acutely observed films about Hollywood life. Jun 7, 2022 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills ...still by far the best incarnation of that showbiz soap opera. Particularly given the peerless casting of Judy Garland as the star who is born... May 4, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Don S watch this movie and you have to recall Judy Garland's real life, who sings and performs like that, amazing! can't believe some of the film is lost, come on man, but great effort to put it together. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review Jeff M Sometimes a movie's biggest asset can also be its biggest liability. Garland basically steamrolls through this movie, blowing everyone away like an F5 tornado from TWISTER. It may be the single greatest "movie star" performance recorded on film. It's no wonder this is the Holy Grail to Garland fanatics. The trouble is, she so overpowers the film that her partner in crime Mason gets lost in her dust. Even at the beginning, when he is supposed to be the big star and she the struggling actress, she is such an overpowering presence that it feels off kilter. Except for some nice moments toward the end, Mason basically has no choice but to sit back and watch the whirlwind. As a result of all this, it doesn't quite have the emotional kick in the gut that the 2018 version has. Also, at nearly three hours long, it becomes a bit exhausting at times, and a couple of the musical numbers go on way too long. But none of this matters a bit when Garland is on screen - you just sit back and enjoy a trip back to the golden age of Hollywood. If an alien came to planet Earth and asked for the definition of a movie star, just invite it to a screening of this movie and no explanation needed. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Alec B Its basically just an expanded version of the original, designed to be mostly a showcase for Garland, not that I mind because she's truly fantastic in every single moment. I think its the best version of this story. Cukor and Hart wisely jettison most of the soft hitting satire in favor of making something of a tragic, semi-musical comedy. As great as Garland is, she's equally matched by Mason. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Kyle M The 1937 beginning set up a narrative that would unexpectedly inspire generational, modernizing retellings mostly two decades apart with each offering their own achieved edges. The 1976 modernization towards musicians' stages fared well over chemistry and leading vocal, while the 2018 latest welcoming favored in the directorial gimmick astonishes by talents with enough pitch to rank superiorly. All that in viewing order without the 1954 superiorly acclaimed classic due to unavailability then. Finally got the chance to see what supposedly Judy Garland's greatest feat is arguably the best out of them all. Director George Cukar (a practice before "My Fair Lady") thematically aligned the film as commentary towards shifting star power within the changing industry while contributing under inspiration towards the genre's obligatory grandness onto the sequences that typically dazzles backed up by energetic tunes. Writer Moss Hart remade the preceding original with emphasized elements adding onto the contexts, which the cast brilliantly fulfilled expressively as their performances transcends in empathetic resonance, particularly the main pair even though Garland and Jason Mason's chemistry weren't explored much minus their shared, convincing genuineness. Garland, after a troubled history that now plagues her earlier ironic roles, relishes in her comeback performance like a free spirit grappling true ethical approach, professionally uplifting her purified caliber. (A-) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/11/23 Full Review Marvin H Breathtaking musical. Judy gives one of the greatest performances of all time. She should have won an academy award but it doesn't matter at all. One of the all time greats! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/18/23 Full Review Autumn M A Star is Born is touted as one of the best musicals of the golden age, but I was not impressed. At a three hour runtime, it could have easily been cut by at least one hour. In the first place, the first half and second half of the movie felt like two different movies ( first half is a musical and second half is a drama) . In the first half, Esther is charmed by a has-been actor, Norman Maine, to throw away her job as professional musician, to take a chance on Hollywood. The second half of the movie deals with Norman's fall from grace and descent into alcohol addiction and Esther's rise to bona fide star. If I had seen this movie when I was much younger, I may have had a different opinion, but coming off several decades of musical interest and showbiz films, this just felt like a recycle of many other stories I have already seen. Judy Garland made the film bearable with her beautiful singing and great acting, but overall it was just okay. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Hollywood actor Norman Maine (James Mason) is a celebrity whose star is on the wane, but when he meets aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), he is inspired to help her, and soon the two appear in a musical together. Now known as Vicki Lester, she marries Norman and finds herself in demand, while his reputation continues to decline, resulting in heavy bouts of drinking. Eventually, Vicki must choose between moving forward with her career and attempting to save her husband.
      Director
      George Cukor
      Producer
      Jack L. Warner
      Screenwriter
      Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, William A. Wellman, Moss Hart
      Distributor
      Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
      Production Co
      Warner Brothers
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Musical
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Sep 29, 1954, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 4, 2016
      Runtime
      2h 56m
      Sound Mix
      Surround
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