After Watching 1976's A Star Is Born For The First Time, I Was Reminded Of Something About Gary Busey

I watched A Star Is Born recently to continue my celebration of all that was cinema in 1976. This was my first time watching the movie, which is one of the many iconic movies on the Criterion Channel. I saw the 1954 version of the story many years ago and didn’t like it, and I love the 2018 version. This version, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, falls between those two. One thing that really stood out to me is Gary Busey's performance. At one time, he was a great actor.

Busey Is Actually Magnetic

The late ‘70s were, for all intents and purposes, the high-water mark of Gary Busey’s career, at least critically. Sure, I loved him in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s with his string of hits like Lethal Weapon, Point Break, Under Siege and The Firm. That was his box office peak, znc all those movies were huge hits. In the ‘70s, not only did he turn in a great performance as John Norman Howard’s (Kristofferson) manager Bobbie, but his follow-up, 1978’s Straight Time, is a great movie. Then there was his Oscar-nominated turn as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story, one of the best music biopics ever.

Ultimately, I would say Busey is my favorite part of this version of A Star is Born. That’s probably weird to think, but every time he was on screen, I was more engaged. He was pretty magnetic back then. It’s such a stark contrast to the Busey if modern pop culture, screaming like a bird or whatever on TikTok, and the drug-addled Busey who found new “fans” with his wild behavior on the exploitative Celebrity Rehab. I couldn’t help but think about the road not taken by Busey, going from a really promising character actor, to… I don’t know, whatever he’s become today, and it’s just too bad.

A Star Is Born Is Good, But It Misses In One Big Way

There are things that the 1976 A Star is Born does really well. I loved the music scenes, with John in concert or in the studio. It’s like Almost Famous, but in its actual time. In that respect, I actually like it more than the 2018 version. However, the love story and relationship between John and Esther (Streisand) really falls flat for me. It’s clunky, and I didn’t sense any chemistry between the two actors. That’s a stark contrast between Lady Gaga and Cooper in the most recent take.

As much of a fan as I am of the late Kristofferson, and as much as I respect Streisand, I was really pretty disappointed by their performances in this movie. I don’t think either of them hit it out of the park in any way. That’s ultimately why I was so drawn to Busey when he’s on screen. He really is the standout role in the film. He plays a supporting role, but he’s just more believable and likable than the two leads.

As a Gen Xer, my introduction to Busey was during that run in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and while none are the best movies of the ‘90s, they are some of the most memorable of the era. I’m glad I finally saw another piece of that creative peak in the ‘70s in A Star is Born.