The 2019 Academy Awards might already have a Best Picture frontrunner now that Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born has received rave reviews from critics at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The musical, which Cooper directed and also stars in with Lady Gaga, recently screened at TIFF, which every year is a key stop on the road to the Oscars. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the response was rapturous, with the movie getting a standing ovation at the end and numerous rounds of applause throughout. Critic Scott Feinberg writes that in the 12 years he has spent covering TIFF, he has "never seen a film evoke the sort of response that the North American premiere of A Star Is Born did Sunday night at the Elgin Theatre."
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The movie is now widely considered to be a major Oscar contender. Collider reports that both Cooper and Gaga will likely compete in the acting categories, as Cooper delivers "the best performance of his career" and Gaga is "nothing short of a revelation." It also looks likely to earn a Best Picture nomination and potentially a Best Director nod for Cooper. The Hollywood Reporter expects it to receive at least 10 nominations.
A Star is Born is the third remake of the 1937 film of the same name, with the 1957 version starring Judy Garland and the 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand. So far, every incarnation of the film has scored at least four Academy Award nominations.
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