A Star Is Born is a movie in which two beautiful and talented people showcase their talents while being beautiful. It is a movie that has been marketed as, “Hey, you know those two beautiful and talented people you like from those other things? Come see them being beautiful and talented in this thing together.” As much as the film tries to trick you into thinking that one or—gasp!—both of them might turn out to be less beautiful or talented than you thought they’d be, the wonderfully choreographed concert scenes, the passionate singing and the tight, intimate close-ups underscore the definitive point that, yep, these two are indeed quite beautiful and talented.
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are stars in the classic sense—big-name celebs who genuinely warrant attention and adulation. It’s no wonder Warner Bros. is selling audiences on their immense appeal. But guess what? There’s so much more to gush over in this movie.
So, here are 20 amazing things in A Star Is Born that are not the beautiful and talented Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
- Sam Elliott’s mustache. It’s like a little pair of angel wings lifting up his nose.
- The drag queen breastplate that Jackson (Cooper) signs and that its owner (William Belli) keeps, unwashed for, like, 18 months.
- Bradley Cooper’s whiskey throat (not technically Cooper!), which sounds like a baked potato left to wither on a hot dirt road.
- Halsey’s brilliant surprise cameo (sorry!) as a presenter at the Grammys.
- Greg Grunberg, who plays Jackson’s incredibly patient, Cheetos-chomping limo driver.
- Ally’s (Gaga) platinum cherry red hair. Her head looks like Fanta’s attempt to rebrand itself.
- The neon pink La Vie En Rose sign in Ally and Jackson’s house. Magnifique!
- Crushing Oxycontin with a boot. Because fuck it.
- The smash cut to Jackson, an addict, rocking out in a haze at a pharmaceutical conference.
- Ally’s Sinatra-obsessed father Lorenzo, played by the luminous Andrew Dice Clay.
- Michael Harney (best known as Healy on Orange Is the New Black) as Ally’s dad’s friend. He doesn’t understand YouTube. So cute!
- Pep talks. Not since the Golden Age of Sports Movies have we seen so many get-your-shit-together mini-speeches in one sitting.
- Dave Chappelle, for giving the absolute best pep talk of all.
- Two words: The. dog. That adorable mutt is Cooper’s own puppy, Charlie!
- Close-up facial shots. Get ready to be six inches from people’s faces. It’s surprisingly comfortable.
- Ally’s swishy, sultry dance rehearsal scenes—it’s like Gaga’s “Marry the Night,” but goofier.
- The skeevy music manager Res, played by Rafi Gavron. Paul Giamatti has passed the torch.
- Ally and Jackson’s modernist-slash-Arizona-bungalow house. Architectural Digest, go retire.
- Anthony Ramos’ character, Ramon, who parlays his friendship with Ally into a life of luxury. He is the human embodiment of the ‘100’ emoji.
- The frozen bag of peas: hands down our pick for Best Supporting Actor.
