Some say it couldn't happen. And yet, La La Land totally swept its nominated categories, bringing in all of the major awards it could grab. Obviously, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association loved Damian Chazelle's love letter to old school Hollywood and musicals, but is it still a frontrunner for the biggest honors at the Academy Awards? Well, let's answer that with another question: do you honestly think any other film has a shot at telling it that it can't?
It's really hard for us to think that any other film could best its chances, as it won Best Original Score, Best Song, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor and Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and just now, Best Musical or Comedy. Six major nominations and six major wins all went La La Land's way, and that's a hard trend to buck. It's even harder when you realize that the film has basically been on the top of everyone's lists since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, so the film's awards are merely a cherry on top of the popularity sundae.
Though there's still one key reason that we know La La Land is going to be a frontrunner for Oscar glory: it's an artist's movie. Hollywood has a reputation for honoring films that pay tribute to the working artist, and they've done so numerous times. Out of the last five Oscar ceremonies, three artist-centric films won the top prize: The Artist, Argo and Birdman. Even if you were to go further back, you'd see films like Chicago, and most egregiously, Shakespeare In Love taking Best Picture, so the odds are not only presently, but historically in La La Land's favor.
Still, the nomination field for the Academy Awards has not been announced yet, so anything could happen. Other films could get more nominations. Moonlight could hit Oscar voters who care more about social matters than simple frivolity. The moon could crash into the sun. But frankly, we feel it'll take a lot to beat a film that opens with a number as gorgeous as "Another Day Of Sun," and manages to finish as strongly as La La Land. If you can find us a film that has a fighting chance, besides Moonlight, we welcome your theories in the Comments below! Of course, that's after you listen to "Another Day Of Sun" one more time, with the video below.
La La Land is still in theaters, and will be hitting a limited engagement in IMAX theaters on Friday, just in time to celebrate its big wins tonight. If you haven't seen it yet, now's the best chance!
