Almost four years ago, this was proclaimed as one of the biggest disappointments of the awards season, and there's a very specific and unique reason it was so disappointing. In year of great performances from Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), and Jack Nicholson who wasn't even nominated, the clear front-runner in the supporting actor race was none other than Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls).
His performance in the musical film was one of the things that nearly drove this film towards a Best Picture nomination. It was the perfect chain of events that had not happened for him before, and most certainly will not happen again. What screwed him over wasn't Alan Arkin, who was always in a close second and merely got the benefit of Murphy's fall. His own worst enemy was himself. A month before the Oscars, a Murphy premiered a little creative project called Norbit, and more than anything else, that was the reason he didn't walk away as the winner that night.
Of course, had the circumstances been different, and Jack Nicholson was nominated for The Departed instead of Mark Wahlberg, it may not have made any difference whether Murphy screwed up or not. Murphy had so much going for him that nobody felt that anybody else stood a chance. It makes sense that Alan Arkin came out on top, as his performance was more than deserving. That doesn't make Murphy's little accident any less disappointing. He's always been drawn to these pathetic films, and for once, it got the best of him. What is your opinion? Do you think that Eddie Murphy should have won? Do you think the Academy shouldn't have cast him out for that one (or three rather) role(s) he played in Norbit that he wasn't nominated for that year? If not, who do you think should've won instead? I want to know what you think.
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