A Star is Born is a very good movie, much better than anyone thought Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut could be, but it had one problem: it’s a remake of a remake of a remake. It’s hard to surprise when the ending has been out there for 80 years. For an original spin on the “wants to make it in the music business” trope, there’s Wild Rose, starring Jessie Buckley as a Scottish woman who dreams of becoming a country singer in Nashville. Early word has been extremely positive, with universal praise for Buckley’s performance (you might recognize Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the fireman’s wife, in HBO’s Chernobyl).
Here’s the official plot summary.
Jessie Buckley delivers a star-making performance as Rose-Lynn, a would-be country singer who dreams of leaving her rough life in Glasgow, Scotland, for the bright lights of Nashville. Fresh out of a stint in prison, Rose-Lynn is a single mom with an ankle monitor, a curfew, and a concerned mother (Julie Walters), who wants her to focus more on her two children and less on her music. But when Rose- Lynn tries to hold down a housekeeping job, her boss (Sophie Okonedo) hears her singing and becomes an unlikely supporter, intent on getting her to Nashville despite the long odds. Caught between hope and responsibility, Rose-Lynn must find her place without abandoning her raw talent and grand ambitions.
Wild Rose opens in select theaters this weekend.
