They shoulda been contenders

Rosario Dawson in "Seven Pounds"

Best Supporting Actress

Whether you love or hate this sappy, manipulative (but unfairly maligned) melodrama, it's hard to find fault with Dawson's sensitively rendered portrayal of a young woman suffering from a terminal illness. In a film so willing to go to extremes to tug at audience's emotions, her naturalistic performance is crucial to pulling off the romance at the heart of the story. —GB