10 Movie Performances Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be

3. Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls

Why It Shouldn't Have Worked

By 2006, the only good string Eddie Murphy really had left to his bow was his part in the Shrek franchise. Otherwise, he was skirting dangerously towards becoming a parody of himself, wearing more and more prosthetics in place of real performances.

And let's be honest, while a movie adaptation of the hit musical, Dreamgirls didn't exactly scream an opportunity for dramatic nuance and flair, Murphy being cast in a weighty role seemed oddly out of place. it's not like he'd ever really done much drama before, either...

But Then...

It's a great thing that Murphy chose to make an exception to his no drama rule for Jimmy Early, because his volatile, vulnerable take on the drug-using, lusty lothario was one of the best things about the movie and his career to date. He drew on his performances as Buddy Love to give Jimmy his obnoxious streak, but balanced it with something cracked under the surface.

It's just a shame he hasn't tried more dramatic roles since.