“A Star Is Born” has all the makings of a modern movie blockbuster: A-list talent, catchy songs, a lusty sense of its own self-importance and huge currency in the meme ecosystem. Bradley Cooper, who plays the withering rock star Jackson Maine, and Lady Gaga, who plays the rising pop siren Ally, are apt partners onscreen, and the story strikes many familiar music-business notes.

It is also among the most-discussed films of this year, sparking some genuine questions: Where does Ally live? Why does it only take her about four months to win a Grammy? How does Jackson Maine’s hair stay that way?

This week’s Popcast goes far from the shallow with a crew of rowdy “Star” enthusiasts and anti-enthusiasts:

Joe Coscarelli, The New York Times’s pop music reporter

Manohla Dargis, The New York Times’s co-chief film critic