The music was good, but the film, first of all, is shot pretty weakly (from a directorial standpoint). But the most important thing is that this film has way more of Gaga than it has of the story. It’s just Gaga with more Gaga and even more Gaga. With all the focus on Gaga, you can’t see the music, the story, the love, nothing. Gaga is very beautiful, no makeup needed, really. But her acting is terrible, and Bradley Cooper doesn’t make up for it. What’s worse, she sings badly too.
Gaga — as Gaga — is fine as a character. She has good music, and she wins with her charisma and energy. But in this movie, all of that feels completely irrelevant because the film isn’t about her. It’s about the music. And as a singer, she’s just awful. She croaks, and she can’t hit high notes at all. So, it even becomes a little odd that she becomes the big star while Bradley is drinking himself to death.
In short, they will never top the release with Barbra Streisand.