A Star is Born: Defining Authenticity
“Tell them what you wanna say”
In many online and word of mouth reviews of Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born, the word “authentic” is pushed around like a badge of honor; It seems as if many popular entertainment outlets are borrowing from the same word bank. This is somewhat concerning, seeing as how journalists and other critics are not understanding the ramifications of calling such a film “authentic”. Once one actually starts to deconstruct the definition of “authenticity”, the critical response to A Star is Born starts to unravel.
The film itself is not the aspect in question. I have very little to say about the movie. It is what it is. Straight-forward with suitable performances that capture the essence of its predecessors. In my opinion, A Star is Born is fine tuned to the point of being just fine. Therefore, this is not so much a critique of the film, but a critique of the general response.
I am not one to invalidate opinions. Obviously, opinions are important, but I think that careful attention should be placed on the words critics use to describe or, in the the case of A Star is Born, define a film. It is so obviously apparent that “authentic” is what mainstream writers want and believe the film to be. However, just because you think or feel something is one way, it may not actually be the case when you take a step back.
This is where the word “authentic” strikes a chord with me. I refuse to believe that A Star is Born is “authentic” because I have no way to define authenticity in the context of the material film, of the subject of the film. What I mean is: I’m not a singer. I’m not rockstar. And even if I were, my definition of authenticity would be VASTLY different from the person sitting next to me in a theater. I can think that the performances are “authentic” or the live singing is “authentic”, but I’m sure that if Eddie Veder or Dave Grohl or Stevie Nicks were sitting beside me, they would probably have a slightly different opinion on the matter.
Because of the difficult nature in defining a general “authenticity”, how are we to call anything authentic that is not of our own? Isn’t authenticity dependent on individual truth? And no, not an emotional truth, but a hard cold fact type of truth. If I paint a picture of a farm, that picture is authentic to me. If I see a picture of a farm painted by my friend, that the picture is authentic to my friend. However, if my friend paints a picture of a farm meaning to convey the hardships on that farm handlers go through everyday, is it not paradoxical of me to say, “Wow. That feels so authentic.” Do I know anything about farms?
Of course, the word can have loose definitions, but at its core, “authenticity” is defined by its objective nature. I doubt that the critics are using the word artistically or for emphasis, for the word is thrown into the pile and not further elaborated. It feels as if the word is used as an incorrect metaphor. Differing human experience makes “authentic” a tricky word to use subjectively, in personal statements about art, of all things. It is near impossible, and not worth the effort to define “authenticity” as it relates to something that is meant to be experienced by large groups of people, i.e. a film or a concert. There are too many variables. If an event is experienced by a crowd of one hundred people, there are one hundred different authenticities floating about. I don’t think that A Star is Born comes from a place of authenticity because it simply cannot exist authentically to EVERYONE.
Maybe if Cooper was directing a documentary about these characters, following them around with a camera, shooting verite, we would have a different story (and even then, the philosophers and cinephiles of the world would still have a field say deconstructing authenticity in relationship to documentary). Instead, A Star is Born is a remake. Doesn’t this defy every definition given and not given to the word?
The point is: You can argue against authenticity in art because authenticity is an outside observation dependent on a third party. And as an artist, and especially as a FILMMAKER, Bradley Cooper can not define A Star is Born as “authentic”, because when he does, it ignores the circumstances of how “authenticity” is defined. It is a term defines by the views of other people. He did not make a film that was authentic.
He made a film that was sincere.
SINCERITY is what these critics mean when they praise the authenticity. Sincerity, unlike authenticity, comes from a place of subjectivity. Sincerity is much harder to argue because it only speaks of individual feelings and truths. If I don’t think that Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of the star system in the music industry matches up with my experiences, I can rebuttal his claim of “authenticity”. However, I cannot deny the fact that he the film is sincere. If I did, it would be the same thing as saying “Bradley Cooper’s beliefs about the film are invalid, and I am the only one that matters.” You can question authenticity, but a work or artist’s sincerity cannot be attacked if the artist him/herself claims that s/he was being sincere in making it.
In a strange non-profile profile on Cooper written by The New York Times, Bradley Cooper described his mission with the film: “Be authentic. Tell the truth.” While I believe that Cooper believes this, this makes no sense logically. His heart is in the right sentiment, but his words are not. We have no clear understanding of these big defining terms. Authenticity sounds good and may be a goal to aim for, but artists will most of the time only be aiming. Through his goal of being authentic, Cooper has achieved what we actually feel from his film – SINCERITY.
And perhaps I am not giving A Star is Born enough credit. The response to the film is mirrored in the motivations and arcs of its characters. Jackson Maine, the film’s rough and tumble protagonist, is about a man living for his definition of authenticity. He believes that he sees it in a girl names Ally, and holds onto it for dear life. To him, her “authenticity” has given him a purpose, a justification to exist. However, as Ally changes her style of music and consumed by an industry that is “inauthentic” to Jackson’s standards, he begins to slowly realize that he actually has no idea what “authenticity” actually is. A Star is Born is a film about what happens when the big ideals, that the big truths we imprint upon certain people and things are pulled out from under and leave us hanging.
If only someone would have given him a dictionary.