I think a big part of that is Bradley Cooper's direction, he makes the whole thing feel real and grounded and keeps us with him. There's something about A Star is Born that feels much more genuine in its motivations. It doesn't have the same sense of grotesque self-importance that something like This is Us on TV or any number of Oscar bait movies past have had in their tear-porn intentions. However, I can't deny that the manipulation works and I was weirdly never bothered by the manipulation. It's tear porn, and it's explicit and deliberate in is manipulative intentions.
Here's the thing: this movie is manipulative as hell, don't try to deny it.
