2. Edward Norton - Birdman
Yes, at this point in the 2015 Oscar race for Best Supporting Actor Edward Norton finds himself in the clear second place position. Norton had auspicious start to his relationship with the Academy when he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his debut film performance in the courtroom drama Primal Fear. A mere two years later he received his second Oscar nomination for his performance as a neo-Nazi skinhead in American History X. Since then however, despite receiving good notices from critics and appearing in modern day classics such as Fight Club, Norton has come up bupkis in terms of garnering any more recognition from the Academy. Norton's cold streak will come to an end this year though with his tour de force turn as the narcissistic but talented thespian Mike (auto-biographical?). In the film, Mike joins the struggling theatrical rendition of a Raymond Carver play at the last moment, injecting some much needed life into what was otherwise destined to be an unmitigated flop. Norton's magnetism in the film is hard to deny and whenever he appears on screen it is hard not too pay attention to him. His self-righteous antics as an "artist" seeking some unique "truth" that only someone as enlightened as himself can understand may be a bit on the cliché side, but Norton infuses the character with enough gusto and empathy that it is impossible not to like the character despite his serious flaws. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's first stab at a comedy may have seemed like a long shot as an Oscar contender upon its inception, but now that the film is upon us its status as an Oscar frontrunner is undeniable. The film may very well take home multiple Oscars come February 22, including possibly Best Picture, but one Oscar the film will probably not end up winning is Best Supporting Actor. Despite Norton's superb performance and many citations as one of the best supporting turns of the year, he keeps coming up short to this year's Best Supporting Actor juggernaut. Norton's performance will likely be remembered for some time, but it simply can't overcome the one performance that is more certain to win than any other this year.
