The narrative as we head into the 2017 Oscars and the battle for the year’s Best Picture trophy is that La La Land’s win is inevitable. Even among its detractors and amid some recent backlash ( which mostly centers on accusations of the film’s racism and/or cultural appropriation, but which you could definitely argue is a result of its popularity) , there’s a concession that it will beat out fellow frontrunners Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea, plus the other six nominees on the list.
La La Land’s frontrunner status is akin to being the top-seeded team in a sporting event. It’ll be a major upset if another movie wins Best Picture, not unlike the way tennis fans are stunned when Serena Williams loses in a grand slam or the way basketball fans take notice when any given NBA team manages to beat the superpowered Golden State Warriors.