Jennifer Hudson and that 2007 Oscar

When she snared the 2007 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Dreamgirls, I thought, “She won an Oscar for this role??!!!” I was dumbfounded. I thought Jennifer Hudson’s film debut was very good. I liked her in the role and she handled it very well and very professionally. She was impressive. 
    
Was she good in the role? Yes. There is definitely some acting talent there. Was her performance impressive for a first time acting effort?  Absolutely. It definitely was. Was it great? I think not. Was it Oscar-worthy? 
    
I think not.
    
As for the others…
    
In my mind, right away, Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) were eliminated from contention.  That left Cate Blanchett (Notes On a Scandal) and Adriana Barraza (Babel). 
    
Blanchett, Barraza and Hudson.
    
Cate Blanchett
    
Seems like her role was the meatiest. She had more screen time than the others. Blanchett’s character had a lot going on. Blanchett was free to dig into the character and express a range of emotions and she was free to make the character her own. Because she is an actress who knows what she’s doing, she handled this very well. Hers was unquestionably a good performance.  That being said, I don’t know that I’d say she could have been a “hands down” winner.
    
But sometimes there are no “hands down” winners.
    
Adriana Barraza
    
Very good, solid, credible performance. Her character was conflicted and continually used bad judgment. I thought Barraza was good in the role.
    
Jennifer Hudson
    
She had a moment or two of dramatic intensity but she did nothing throughout the rest of the movie that demonstrated exceptional acting ability. Hudson brought sassy, sistagirl swagger to the role; sometimes, I thought, a bit too much.
    
I don’t think there was anything particularly challenging about the script. Her character is not very complex and there is not much in the role that lent itself to a dazzling display of acting prowess. Despite this, Hudson never disappoints.
    
Though I don’t think Hudson’s role was as challenging as the others’, it was likely challenging on a personal level… all the world looking at you… first time out, etc.  So, I give her great praise for not making a fool of herself.
    
For me (regardless of what the Academy says), the winner has to convince me, unequivocally, that theirs was the better performance. Jennifer Hudson did not do that for me. It’s kind of like the pumpkin head Barry Bonds asterisk situation. 
    
I’m not seeing her win as unmistakable or undeniable. Do you?
    
Was I happy to see Jennifer Hudson win?  Well...
    
I believe that since Hudson was a non-actress, the expectations were low. So, when Hudson held her own in Dreamgirls, she was exalted to great, grand actress of the world. So, I think, instead of looking at her performance as just good, people think she killed it.
    
If I thought Jennifer Hudson was the clear winner and gave a great performance, I would be thrilled for her… and for us, as blackfolk. But… there’s the asterisk. And because that asterisk is there, my feelings about her win are mixed. I want to be thrilled for Miss Hudson. I do.
    
So, who would I have picked to win?  It’s hard to say. There was something about Adriana Barraza’s performance that was endearing. Maybe I’ll go with her… or Cate Blanchett… no, Adriana Barraza… could be Cate Blanchett… no, I’ll say Adriana Barraza… I think. LOL.
    
As many of you know, Jennifer Hudson is working on her current film, Sex in the City and has completed production on another. We’ll keep an eye on the talented Jennifer Hudson and watch as her acting career progresses. I hope she enjoys continued success. I look forward to seeing her future work.

Comments

[Shion]

I ddidn't see Dreamgirls the movie. I was glad for Hudson 's win. It sounds like her performance that you described was similar to Whoopi Goldberg's in "Ghost" with Patrick Swayne and Demi Moore. Whoopi got a best supporting Oscar for that as well.I like Whoopi, I think her voice is actually sexybut do you think there is a certain image that the Academy is comfortable with some Blacks on screen.

[theblackactor.com]

@ Shion

re award winner image that academy is comfortable with ...

I've never thought about that. No, not necessarily. But it might be something worth examining closer.

[Kimi]

I'm a Dreamgirls fan from way back when I saw the Broadway play with Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph & Loretta Devine.

I thought Hudson did a great job in the role for all reasons described by the Black Actor & especially since it was a first outing for her. Just to take on that song & make it her own alone was an accomplishment cuz I was wondering who they'd get & if they could find anyone who could even compare to Holliday's version.

So I was very happy for Hudson & rooted for her to win, but will admit I can't make a truly fair comparison cuz I didn't see any of the other nominees or their films.

Plus I'm usually just happy that an AA wins regardless cuz we rarely get the recognition we deserve when we deserve it.

Speaking of which ... as for Whoopi winning best supporting for Ghost ... she was good in that role, but believe the Academy was trying to make up for snubbing Whoopi for The Color Purple in the past when she won for Ghost.

[Concerned Black Filmmaker]

"So I was very happy for Hudson & rooted for her to win, but will admit I can't make a truly fair comparison cuz I didn't see any of the other nominees or their films." -- KIMI

And that's the problem with black filmgoers who criticize the Academy, demanding that certain performances should win or be nominated only because the performance was that of a black actor.

I go to the movies often, seeing every film I can possibly see. I normally see every film that ultimately get nominated by the Academy way before Oscar night. I saw "Dreamgirls" on opening day and was thoroughly disappointed by the whole film. I thought the story was paper-thin, the performances were melodramatic, it was anti-climatic, it was superficial and I thought their were more 'contrivances' in the film than there are in every dictionary that exist in the world. I truly didn't like the film.

In fact, I dared to gamble with any Dreamgirls-freak, betting them that the film wouldn't get nominated for Best Picture or Best director. Despite me being right about that, they were still able to snag supporting actor nominations for both Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson.

When Oscar night came, I was convinced they would both lose. I couldn't possibly see anyone calling Jennifer Hudson's performance "acting." Did she sing the hell out of "If I'm Telling You"? Yes. If there was a category for 'best performance of a song in a film,' should Hudson win? Absolutely. But that's not acting and it'll never be for me.

First Murphy loses, and I was thrilled. I disliked his 'Donkey-from-Shrek' performance everybody seemed to consider as acting. I always perceived Murphy as a performer capable of doing Oscar worthy work but he didn't do it in "Dreamgirls." And when Hudson won I was hurt. I was hurt because I can honestly say, from my humble opinion, that there were three other performances vastly superior to Hudson's portrayal of the deep-as-a-puddle Effie White. In fact, I was rooting for Adrianna Barraza, a performance you will never forget if you saw "Babel."

I even hear Dreamgirls-freaks a year later, admitting that Hudson should not have won after seeing "Babel."

I'm like, "Duh..."

In the end of the day, Hudson's performance wasn't Oscar worthy. So, I stand with you TheBlackActor.com on this one.

[theblackactor.com]

@ Concerned

I'm thinkin' you didn't like the movie. LOL. :) Many people share your view. I thought it was entertaining. Eddie Murphy -- I liked him in the role but I didn't love him in the role.