It’s hard to view this film today without noticing the similarities between James Mason’s portrayal of "Norman Maine" and what Judy Garland experienced later in her life. He embodies a fading Hollywood icon sustained by alcohol and the constant interventions of his studio head, “Oliver Niles” (Charles Bickford), who tries to prevent him from total collapse. Simultaneously, "Esther Blodgett" (Garland) is working as an aspiring singer, accepting whatever employment she can find until luck intervenes. Their lives intersect one evening when chance brings them together; he hears her perform "The Man That Got Away" with her group in a bar and becomes captivated by her both artistically and personally. As the title indicates, a star emerges definitively. Before long, "Maine" is reduced to being secondary to the newly christened "Vicki Lester," which accelerates his downward spiral, even though she’s deeply attached to him. The film's length (exceeding two and a half hours) means it occasionally feels slow – I would have appreciated more musical numbers, but ultimately it remains a moving and worthwhile cinematic work.

Source on TMDB