{"id":3464,"date":"2016-03-13T09:37:45","date_gmt":"2016-03-13T04:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3464"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:03:14","slug":"what-a-star-is-born-gets-right-about-toxic-masculinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=3464","title":{"rendered":"What A Star is Born Gets Right About Toxic Masculinity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

W<\/span><\/p><\/div>

e\u2019ve seen this story countless times before. An <\/span>alcoholic<\/span><\/a> artist in the decline of his career mentors a talented woman, and when she succeeds, goes into a fit of jealousy-fuelled self sabotage. In a world that is coming to terms with toxic masculinity and its effect on <\/span>women<\/span><\/a>, was it really necessary to remake <\/span>A Star is Born<\/span><\/i>, a film<\/span> that glorifies the very traits we\u2019ve spent the last one year examining? Bradley Cooper\u2019s directorial debut makes those efforts and succeeds, if only partially, in giving us a nuanced view of a relationship marred by emotional abuse and the effects of stardom.<\/span>\n\nCooper plays Jackson Maine, a tinnitus-suffering, <\/span>alcoholic<\/span><\/a> singer-songwriter, while Lady Gaga plays Ally, a waitress who aspires to be a singer. Jackson first meets Ally in a drag bar, where she is singing \u201cLa Vie En Rose\u201d. With an intensified call for sensitive portrayal of the <\/span>LGBTQ<\/span><\/a> community in films, the bathtub scene, where Ally puts makeup on Jackson\u2019s face and paints his nails, seems written to script. It\u2019s a poignant sequence which cements the fact that the masculinity portrayed on screen is different from the versions we have come to expect from Hollywood.<\/span>\n\nAfter a clunky first act which is propelled mostly by <\/span>Lady Gaga\u2019s<\/span><\/a> electrifying singing, the movie picks up in the second act, digging deeper into Jackson\u2019s insecurities, fuelled by his alcoholism, and Ally\u2019s meteoric rise to fame. Hollywood loves stories about itself and it\u2019s no surprise that the movie excels in the moments which show the toxicity of show-biz. Maine\u2019s continuous downward spiral and toxic behaviour is given context as a tragic backstory which involves a less-than-devoted father, while Ally\u2019s struggle to balance her stardom and the influence of Jackson comes to an especially heartbreaking conclusion in a <\/span>Grammy<\/span><\/a> award ceremony.<\/span>\n\n

But for all its efforts at updating gender dynamics, the film would have worked even better had it understood consent too and not made it entirely about the man.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nMen have, from time to time, blamed their shitty behaviour on alcohol and disabilities. And while Maine is himself affected by all these things, in the end, it\u2019s clear that only he is responsible for his actions \u2013 and the movie makes it a point to affirm this. For Maine\u2019s resentfulness doesn\u2019t come from the fact that Ally\u2019s career is overshadowing his own \u2013 he believes in her <\/span>talent<\/span><\/a> and is sorely disappointed when she signs up with a record label and starts taking up gigs which have nothing to do with her singing and everything to do with how she presents herself. This is a departure from the earlier versions of the film while also being a scathing commentary on showbiz which prides product over talent. <\/span>\n\n\"A\n

\n

In favour of showing spectacle, it eschews its female lead\u2019s agency.<\/p>\n

Image Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nIt\u2019s even more tragic that Maine only gets to tell Ally this in an <\/span>alcohol-fuelled<\/span><\/a> rage and not sober. In less than capable hands, this narrative would have devolved into hammy melodrama, but Cooper\u2019s surprisingly deft touch lends a nuance rarely seen in movies like this. It\u2019s satisfying too, especially when the upshot of the movie is that this behaviour is categorised as bad.<\/span>\n\nBut for all its efforts at updating gender dynamics, the film would have worked even better had it understood <\/span>consent<\/span><\/a> too and not made it entirely about the man. In favour of showing spectacle, it eschews its female lead\u2019s agency. Which is a shame, considering Lady Gaga\u2019s terrific performance as Ally. I suppose there were always going to be hiccups in in re-telling a tale of old-school <\/span>romance<\/span><\/a>. But, as the song from the film goes, \u201cMaybe it\u2019s time to let the old ways die?\u201d<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bradley Cooper\u2019s directorial debut starring Lady Gaga is a modern-day update on an old story. Unlike past iterations that glorify toxic behaviours, this version, in the age of #MeToo, makes all the politically correct statements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":3467,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[6605,6606,1576,6075,6607],"class_list":["post-3464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-a-star-is-born","tag-alcoholism","tag-lady-gaga","tag-masculinity","tag-musician"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat A Star is Born Gets Right About Toxic Masculinity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bradley Cooper\u2019s directorial debut starring Lady Gaga is a modern-day update on an old story. 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