Will 'Penguins' March Over 'Murderball' at Oscars?

March 2, 2006 — -- "March of the Penguins" captured moviegoers' hearts and marched into box-office history. But these fat little birds have another thing coming if they think they're going to waddle off with the Oscar for best documentary.

Two other nominees, "Darwin's Nightmare" and "Murderball," both received outstanding reviews, even though their box office returns, compared with "Penguins' " unprecedented $77 million, were mere bird feed.

"I do think 'March of the Penguins' is going to win," said Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly. "It united everyone who saw it, both critics and the public." This life-affirming look at how oh-so-adorable emperor penguins care for their young under brutal, subzero Antarctic conditions captured a public craving for non-Hollywood glam. The captivating camerawork and Morgan Freeman's fatherly narration only added to the film's appeal.

"Murderball," a profile of quadriplegics who play a form of wheelchair rugby no less brutal than the traditional version, was not as easy on the eyes and drew only $2 million at the box office. But the film, directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, was such a critical smash that some dubbed it a surefire Oscar winner as soon as it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

"This will win the Oscar, so there's no point in showing anything else," Roger Ebert declared. Movie Web site RottenTomatoes.com later dubbed "Murderball" "the best-reviewed film of the year."

"Darwin's Nightmare," filmed at Tanzania's Lake Victoria, tracks the lives of predatory fish and is a gritty look at globalization. It won a host of awards, but not all critics believe it should be included in the nominee list. "I think the film is somewhat overrated because of its political message," said Gleiberman. "It got extra credit because it's about a modern African calamity."

The other two nominees, "Street Fight" and "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," have their share of supporters. But they're clearly long shots.

"'Enron did something amazing," said Gleiberman. "It was great piece of journalism, and it was still surprisingly entertaining."

"Street Fight" stands out for putting small-town politics under the microscope. The film follows Cory Booker's campaign to become the mayor of Newark, N.J. It received only limited theatrical release, but director Marshall Curry was subsequently named best emerging filmmaker by the Documentary Film Association, and that victory may have come simply by his earning an Oscar nomination.