Posterized: Brie Larson
Friday, April 28, 2017 at 12:17PM By Nathaniel R
Last week the directors of Captain Marvel were announced, moving that imaginary Marvel Studios picture, starring Brie Larson, closer to reality. 2019 is still a long way off though we have plenty of Brie to tide us over until then. She's in movie theaters currently as part of Ben Wheatley's crime comedy ensemble picture Free Fire (reviewed). It's one of two features this spring whichhas featured Brie Larson as the token female amongst a group of adult men fighting for their lives (the other being Kong Skull Island). Which is, if you consider her particular skills as an actress, kind of a waste; to date she's consistently done her most transcendent work opposite other women or child actors.
Though it feels as if Brie Larson only recently exploded into fame having won the Best Actress Oscar for Room (2015), in reality she has been paying her dues for ages, winning her first TV gig at just 9 years of age (a comedy skit on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno) and her first movie gig by 10 (something called Special Delivery in which she played "Little Angel"). She's done a little of everything including an attempted pop career - which goes down really well in a meta sort of way via the satiric prism of her role in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and her role-playing within "United States of Tara" -- 'Princess Valhalla Hawkwind,' anyone?.
So let's look back on her movie history via POSTERIZED (returning for another season!). We've thrown in all her movies that we could find posters to (a couple others don't seem to have been released) and her three largest TV roles. How many of these 27 Brie Larson projects have you seen?
Chapter 1 - The Child Actress (1999-2002)
Her first movie arrived when she was 10 and the first of her 2 TV series regular gigs "Raising Dad" (which lasted just one season) began airing a few days after her 12th birthday.
Chapter 2 - Rising Teen Star (2003-2009)
She had her first headlining gig at 13 with the TV movie Right on Track and she was one of the "Six Chicks" of 13 Going on 30. But her breakthrough was surely as "Kate Gregson" on United States of Tara, in which she was reteamed with Keir Gilchrist (who she'd worked with on Just Peck) as brother and sister this time and held her own in complicated emotional / comic territory with both Viola Davis (as her mentor) and Toni Collette (as her mom)
Chapter 3 - Oh look, it's Princess Valhalla Halkwind - I enjoy her! (2010-2013)
By her early 20s the range was already quite laudable even if it was a bit hard to remember her name: Alison Brie? Brie Alison? Brie Larson? Alison Larson? (not that those two are anything alike but the names and the fame levels during this time frame threw me at least a bit)
Chapter 4 - OMG I freaking ❤️ Brie Larson. Give her great parts, plz Hollywood (2013-2014)
The breakthrough. Deadpan perfection in Don Jon and Oscar worthy film carrying duties in Short Term 12 in which she played a supervisor at a foster care facility. Her gift with child actors (perhaps from having been one herself?) would soon pay even greater dividends. And of course there was that large but nothing part that probably paid well as "the girlfriend" to a major male star, the thing that happens to even the best of actresses in their 20s and 30s and again in their 30s and 40s as "the wife". You gotta pay the bills!
Chapter 5 - Team Player / Sudden Oscar Winner. What's Next? (2015-2017)
The next step, having ascended to real fame via great acting in intimate dramas (Short Term 12 / Room) is to choose the right projects in order to make the Oscar look prescient rather than "too early" and to augment the bankability factor.
The future looks very bright.
She's got two prestige projects on the way, the already filmed Glass Castle and the just announced biopic Victoria Woodhull and in 2018 she joins the world's most mammoth cinematic franchise (The Marvel Cinematic Universe) playing Captain Marvel in Avengers: Infinity War. She might want to get a smidge pickier about projects now that the offers are abundant but so far, she's shown great instincts in climbing that Hollywood mountain.
WHERE ARE YOU IN REGARDS TO BRIE LARSON: How much of her work have you seen and do you consider yourself a fan?
Reader Comments (44)
When you posted about Amy Adams, non-fans were saying they felt that Amy could always just be anyone else, that she doesn't bring anything distinctive to the screen. That's kind of how I feel about Brie. That being said, I feel like she's undeniably talented. I respect her talents but I'm not long-term compelled. I thought Jacob stole the show in Room.
This is too premature,what is the deal with the obsession over her.
"Jacob stole the show in Room"
I think the same!
I'm not a fan of her yet. But I'm closet to be. Like was with Emma Stone, Who I became a fan with La La Land.
She is a fine actress but her hanging out with the likes of Lawrence, Schumer and Dunham and the way she is coming off in the interviews prevent me from being a fan. But she is talented
I've only seen two of these movies.
Yet she has won me over completely and I like her more all the time.
She is not a star but a competent Actress from what I have seen of her.
Wait, wasn't there a bollywood film with Brie Larson after her oscar win?
I'm a fan mostly due to Short Term 12. There was something about her presence in that movie that was so engaging and mysterious. As talented as I think she is, there is something somewhat generic about her looks so I often end up forgetting about her - I have no idea who she played in Don Jon and always forget she was in Trainwrecked.
Only 6 (I'm sure I'll get to Free Fire - but haven't yet). I think solid describes her - except in Scott Pilgrim. She absolutely nailed over-the-top meets relatable/understandable in that highly-stylized setting. Makes me wonder if certain kinds of genre movies could end up being her strength, even though that's not most of what she's been cast in so far.
She was the only watchable part of Don Jon, and all she did was cast baleful glances while pecking on her phone.
Ugh, that movie.
I've seen most of the things she has done from Chapter 2 and beyond. Her best performances are Short Term 12, United States of Tara (wouldn't it be great if Keir Gilchrist ascended like she has? ) and Room. She also had great moments in Scott Pilgrim and the Spectacular Now. I do consider myself a fan and love the grit, warmth, determination and humor she brings to her roles.
I've seen 3 so far. *lol*
13 going 30, United States of Tara and Room.
She was fine, but not a real standout. Room lived especially because of the kid. So sad he didn't get nominated.
That doesn't mean I dislike her, though.
Brie Larson is fabulous—the only Oscar-winning actress of her generation whose celebrity persona doesn't get in the way of her work. She can disappear into roles the way Shailene Woodley still can, and that's a huge accomplishment. Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence have become caricatures the way Reese Witherspoon did before and after her Oscar win. That's not a read, it just feels objectively true.
I fully expect Emma Stone to overplay her hand over the next few years. Can't you imagine her floundering in films like Rendition, How Do You Know, Water for Elephants, etc? Only an actress who feels Vanity Fair levels of invincibility would say yes to Aloha.
There will be a Wild for Stone when she needs it. To me, that's when the really interesting phase of her career will begin. I feel pretty finished with the current iteration.
But as I said, Brie won't run into those problems.
Ana -- there was but it doesn't appear to have opened yet despite being made what seems like a long time ago. It's called BASMATI BLUES. IMDb lists it as a 2017 feature that's "completed"
Hayden good analysis,we all have our faves,I don't get the Brie love just like I am immune to the Chastain love or the Kathleen Turner love or the Ingrid Bergman love etc.
I loved her in Short Term 12. Otherwise she's a meh. Don't like her off screen virtue signalling and the way she acted around Casey Affleck this year.
She's a good actress, but the "OMG she is the prettiest, bravest, most talented, most likable woman in the world!" publicity that surrounded her when 'Room' came out was a turn off for me. Too much, too soon.
It Girl actresses are really set up to fail these days. The media pushes them too hard, film critics and other awards groups shower them with accolades for merely satisfactory performances, and they start believing their own hype.
Eventually, the work suffers as the actresses start thinking they can do no wrong (Lawrence is a great example of this), and people start getting sick of them. Then it's time for a new crop of It Girls.
I think we are getting wise to what media pundits/critics say we should embrace.
Such a watchable screen presence. I loved her performance in the brilliant Short Term 12. However i'm afraid that I would take away her Oscar in a heartbeat - Saorise was so perfect in Brooklyn and deserved that Gold Statuette in my mind and heart
Before Short Term 12 she was kind of forgettable to me. I don't remember her in Scott Pilgrim or The Spectacular Now. I'm still not sold she's a great actress. She was fine in Room but she was not my pick for the Oscar. I'm hopeful she'll have an interesting career though.
I do like Brie Larson as I do remember her in Sleepover and 13 Going on 30 as she's becoming one of my favorites but I too question her decision into hanging out w/ the likes of Dunham, Schumer, and ugh.... J-Law.
I've seen 5: 13/30, 21 Jump Street, Train Wreck, Room, and King Kong.
And I have no memory of her in the pre "Room" movies. She's just.... there.
Posterized is back! Love it. It's beautiful to look and you can discover certain patterns like when we realized that Denzel did the same movie for a decade and a half.
I wasn't aware of Brie's child career. I first paid attention with Tara. I've only seen 8, but I would say I really like her. Short Term 12 is clearly my fav. I don't think her Oscar will age well though.
Another suggestion for Posterized: Kevin Kline. I finally listened to his interview on Alex Baldwin's podcast and he really is so great, very talented, very versatile, has been around a long time and worked with a lot of people. Reviewing his career would be interesting, especially now that he's back in the spotlight with Beauty and the Beast.
She was the best option the year she won her Oscar. Ronan, Rampling and Blanchett have to be some of the biggest cases of white privilige when it comes to Oscar nominations (so is Lawrence, but that performance is way better than almost everything she does). Everytime I hear someone prasing those performances I cringe so bad my face eats itself, since those are some of the most insipid and boring performances ever (the irony in Rampling's case though... LOL). Larson's a decent actress and I think she's such a weird case in that bloody best actress category where she's the top choice and somehow deserving (that interview scene, not enoughed rehearsed), but once again, she got the statue for the wrong reasons (the ones you know a woman should have to be crowned best actress).
The real title of this post should be "Brie Larson and Kat Dennings were Bob Sagets' daughters in a sitcom and other things you didn't know" Go watch the YouTube clips of Raising Dad. So funny the places people get their starts.
Two years ago, after I saw Short Term 12, I wanted to know everything about this actress. She mesmerized me in that movie. I don't think I've ever rooted for an actress the way I did for Brie Larson. I looked up her future film projects, checked out the novel Room and had such high hopes for a nomination. And then, the movie was just...OK. And her personality seems a bit calculated, not quite genuine. Still, I am hopeful she will deliver another Short Term 12 performance in Glass Castle and that her Carol Danvers will rock. But I'm more cautious now.
@ Me34 - Blanchett, Larson, Rampling, Ronan are one fierce quartet of nominees, so I can only say I completely disagree with your assessment. Lawrence is clearly the weak link (the two leading ladies in Supporting Actress - Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander - were more deserving), but of her nominated performances it is probably second best after Winter's Bone. Overall it was a good year for Best Actress nominees.
Re: Brie Larson, I have only seen 3/27 and I can't even remember her in one of them. I like her, though I hope for more Rooms and Short Term 12s in her future, even if she has to make a Kong or a Marvel movie every now and then to keep her name popular with audiences and in the industry. May her talent not be wasted!
Me34, care to back up your claims Ronan, Blanchett and Rampling are the 'biggest cases of white priviledge'?
She's a really good actress. Don't really understand her Oscar win or the meteoric love for that movie in general, but she's very talented. I agree with most of the sentiments here.
I love Brie Larson. I've been a fan since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and find her to be extremely gifted. She can do drama, deadpan comedy, be musical, and now she's about to ride high on action stardom on Captain Marvel.
In fact, the main reason I saw Kong: Skull Island was because of her.
somebody reteam her with keir gilchrist - their grounded sibling relationship kept me watching ...tara through its nuttier moments
I've seen seven of her performances, most of which I can't remember; I don't understand the hype when ti comes to her to be perfectly honest.
I was also rooting for Ronan in Brooklyn that Oscar year, and was baffled that Larson was this runaway freight train with award bodies and critic's groups.
She reminds me of Helen Hunt.
Brie winning for Room is the most boring thing in the historyof the Academy. One giant meh!
I'm a fan but she still has to prove her staying power. I'm rooting for her! Her work in Short Term 12 is just outstanding and she was quite likeable in United States of Tara. Although overrated, she was very solid in the Room and her chemistry with the kid was aces to which the film owes much of its success.
Other youngish actors who do a mix of tv and films like Moss and Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Dunst I think would be on my casting wish lists ahead of her. A-list movie actors (her competitors) like Mara, Lawrence and Hathaway would be too but she's the new kid on the block still (at least to the A-list) and its competitive out there. Give her time! The more talented young actresses out there the better. Hopefully these upcoming roles are plum parts; outside of Room pretty much all her post short term 12 roles have been throw-away (i.e. bad) parts. I disagree that she makes savvy career choices tbh.
She actually reminds me of a young Jodie Foster
I like her, I'm excited to see her as Captain Marvel. I too preferred Ronan to Larson in that Oscar lineup (& Mara who should have been in lead & should have won!) but as far as BA winners go there has certainly been much, much worse. She seems relatively DTE to me, I'm not seeing the calculated persona that other posters are suggesting.
I admittedly love her. She won me completely over with UNITED STATES OF TARA and I've loved her ever since.
People who don't remember her in SCOTT PILGRIM astound me because she was so pitch perfect in such a small part. Pitch perfect. SHORT TERM 12 was a revelation and of course ROOM was wow. I was definitely rooting for her to win that Oscar.
Overall, I've seen 12 but not yet her two 2017 films. Will catch them soon-ish!
I enjoy Brie's performances, but my question is this Nathaniel - Why is it a "waste" for a talented actor to be in an action film? Just because it's not a scene-chewing drama means that no skill is needed? There is such a prejudice against action/adventure movies within the film industry. Sure, a lot of them are crap, but the same can be said for the other genres. An actors performance should not be written off just because it is in an action film.
While not my #1 choice for the Oscar, I did I really like Brie in Room. I think her Oscar win has made people too harsh towards her performance.
Wow. I thought that I was alone in not understanding the hype. It looks like I keep good company. In interviews and in performances, I'm left feeling very little of note.
Robin H -- i agree with everything you're saying. It's just that in Brie's case i've yet to see that she has any special aptitude for it in the way some performers have (like oh Scarlett Johansson and Charlize Theron). I totally respect genre performances and i think my awards over the years have demonstrated that. Perhaps poor word choice on my part there in this article.
Ryan T -- same on Scott Pilgrim. She was bewitching in that (but perhaps people have trouble placing her because she actually does disappear into roles like a chameleon rather than a MOVIE STAR... and because Scott Pilgrim is stacked with actors doing really good work in small parts.
I dunno. Compared to Carey Mulligan, Brie Larson sounds preachy. And tries too hard. That is my take on her during the roundtable convo with Rampling, Fonda, Blanchett, Winslet, Mirren, Mulligan, Lawrence
She was ok in Kong Skull. She may be one of those actresses that gets better with age like Judi Dench and Helen Mirren. Larson has this edgy attitude that I like
Loved her in Room and found her very deserving of the win. She seems to get a lot of hate on these boards, but I'm rooting for her.