Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of The Marvels, we’re counting down our favorite movies starring Brie Larson! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Joe Swanberg has made quite a name for himself with his movies about the day-to-day happenings of 30-somethings in America. One of the more prominent dabblers in the mumblecore subgenre, Swanberg’s movies are typically sparse plot-wise, but rich in atmosphere and character. Digging for Fire is one of Swanberg’s best movies — starring Jake Johnson, it follows a man who finds a bone and a gun while digging in the garden of the fancy house that he’s staying in with his wife. When his wife, played by Rosemarie DeWitt, gets upset with him and leaves for the weekend, Johnson’s Tim has some friends over to dig around the rest of the house and go on little adventures. This film features an ensemble cast of people you’ll recognize, as they float in and out of Tim’s story — Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Sam Rockwell, Jenny Slate, Orlando Bloom and many more pop up at points throughout this nice little movie about appreciating the mundanity of marriage. (Robert Bouffard)
In what is essentially a retelling of Big, in 13 Going on 30, Jenna (Christa B. Allen) wishes she was a 30-year-old woman, and it comes true. Unlike Big, though, Jenna (now Jennifer Garner) wakes up 17 years in the future; she has become an adult and finds she has everything she desires. She’s friends with Lucy (Judy Greer), the popular girl at school, and has a dream job working for a magazine. There are many assuming gags early on as Jenna adjusts to not only being an adult, but being in the future with no idea what modern phones sound like. Garner is compelling as a 13-year-old in a woman’s body. As an adult, she discovers she’s gotten all the things she wants; she has become an awful person, distancing herself from her best friend, Matt (Mark Ruffalo), and stabbing a lot of co-workers in the back. Lucy betrays Jenna near the end, and her justification for this is that she’s done it to her. To get the life she wants, Jenna is not only an awful person, but people are awful to her. Garner and Ruffalo have great chemistry, and I wish they had more scenes together. As well as a clear you-reap-what-you-sow lesson, there is an excellent lesson about not looking too far ahead in life and just appreciating what you have right in front of you — the ending reminds me a lot of It’s A Wonderful Life in that way. (John Tillyard)
Creature features don’t often get big budgets and A-List cast members, yet somehow 2017’s Kong: Skull Island did. Receiving a budget of $185 million translates into being able to afford creature effects by Industrial Light & Magic, and packing the cast of the 11th addition to the Kong franchise with Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, and Johns Goodman and C. Reilly. That’d be like 1954’s The Creature From the Black Lagoon being able to have the cast from Sabrina (William Holden, Audrey Hepburn, and Humphrey Bogart), and costumes and visual effects by Disney. The amount of money invested in what should have been just another cheesy monster movie elevates it to the class of oddly addictive creature feature. Larson and Hiddleston adventuring through what is pretty much Journey to the Center of the Earth taking place on an island is exciting to watch when punctuated with over-the-top Jackson and equally quirky Reilly performances. The plot is a bit flimsy, but you don’t watch a monster movie for the intriguing plot points; you watch it for the fantastical creatures, and this flick has them in droves. Kong is just one of the nearly dozen menacing monsters inhabiting the island, and anticipating when and where the next one will pop up layers the action sequences with suspense to keep intrigue up throughout. The classic king of monsters with a fresh set of foes, and a Marvel-packed cast, makes the 11th addition to this series a welcome one. (Patrice Downing)
Despite only appearing at the start and the end, and nowhere between, Captain Marvel is much more of a fully-fledged character in Avengers: Endgame than she ever was at any point throughout her solo movie. Her arrival to the final battle and her showdown with Thanos are both epic. It is thrilling to see her elicit the first hint of fear in his eyes. Avengers: Endgame will always be a historic footnote in cinema as the culmination of 21 previous films. It might not be better than Avengers: Infinity War or a couple other classics that preceded it, but it somehow perfectly toes the line of delivering a steady stream of fan service payoffs without having them feel forced. Few movie moments ever have, or ever will, elicit the level of theater response that “on your left” or Captain America wielding Mjölnir did. It was the perfect love letter to, and conclusion of, a historic saga. Much like the first seven seasons of Game of Thrones, let’s not dwell too much on what came next. (Jason Mack)
The Spectacular Now is a heartwarming coming-of-age movie that features Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley before they were each vaulted into stardom. It explores teenage years, the way we look ahead at that age, how we idealize people, and how our family trauma can influence our lives and behavior like almost nothing else. Teller and Woodley show glimpses of why they each eventually became Hollywood mainstays, and a sneaky stacked cast behind them — featuring the likes of Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Bob Odenkirk (among others) — round out the film. At a cozy 95 minutes, The Spectacular Now is an easy yet meaningful watch. (Robert Bouffard)
In a culture inundated with superhero films, it’s kind of crazy that one of the best and most faithful comic book adaptations comes not from the world of DC or Marvel. Adapted from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel by the brilliant mind of Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World translates the visual language of comic books to film like nothing else has before or since. It’s stylistically unique and dynamic, using split screens to simulate comic book panels and onscreen text and graphics to enhance the action occurring in reality. The story is a lot of fun, as the titular character, played by Michael Cera, must battle the seven evil exes of his new girlfriend, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), in order to continue their relationship. Each battle has its own style, paying homage to different types of media from around the world, and the supporting cast playing Scott’s friends and Ramona’s exes is absolutely stacked, featuring the likes of Brie Larson, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Alison Pill, and Jason Schwartzman. This may be the most creative film that Wright, a director certainly known for his distinct style and ingenuity, has ever made and I’m sure that there’s something in there that everyone could enjoy. (Jake Hjort)
In the same year she donned the Captain Marvel suit for her solo film, Brie Larson was also in this smaller movie about a man fighting injustice. In Just Mercy, Larson plays Eva, a local advocate, who helps Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), a Harvard-educated civil rights attorney that opens an office in Alabama to help represent those who can’t afford proper legal services. Though the focus may be on Stevenson and his wrongly convicted client (Jamie Foxx), Eva is Stevenson’s partner in the founding of the Equal Justice Initiative and is a key supporting role in the story. It’s a powerful film for a fight against injustice against odds much steeper than they should be, given the actual facts, with an important message about a relentless pursuit of truth. (Jake Bourgeois)
How is it that one of the funniest films of recent memory is based on a totally serious yet cheesy drama about cops going undercover as high school students? That concept is so ridiculous…I t was perfect for a comedy! Phil Lord and Christopher Miller delivered one of the most unexpectedly hilarious films with 21 Jump Street that also boasts one of the most talented young casts in film. Brie Larson, Dave Franco, and others join this comedy alongside the unexpectedly perfect pairing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Their chemistry is off the charts, and they work perfectly together as polar opposites who must find a way to work together to take down a serious drug ring. The humor is wild and meta at every turn, and is bolstered by the craziest cameos you will find. This is a wonderfully ridiculous and surprisingly heartfelt film about friendship and finding your purpose. But let’s not forget… Ice Cube 100% steals this movie in every scene he appears. (Shane Conto)
The movie that earned Brie Larson her Oscar and proved how much one determiner can change your movie, as The Room is definitely… a movie that was made, but not this movie. Room is a chillingly claustrophobic yet powerful experience that stands and falls on Larson and Jacob Tremblay and their mother/son chemistry. And since we spend half of the movie with the two imprisoned in one room, we get to see all the nuances they to their performances. What impressed me was how the movie deals with its second half, and that it never takes a shortcut; it shows us that even if you escape physically, you need to escape mentally, too. Room isn’t the most cheerful movie you will ever see, that’s for sure. However, if you watch it, you will see why Larson became so big, and why she got the Oscar for her performance. (Luke Burian)
There’s this hatred of Brie Larson that stems from a very obvious place: She’s an outspoken feminist in a prominent comic book role. Believe what you want about whatever politically, but the discussion surrounding her personal stances has overtaken the conversation about her skill as an actor. There is no better proof of her capabilities than Short Term 12. As a social worker at home from troubled youths, Larson’s character, Grace, has a lot of responsibilities. Kids come to her with troubles they can’t communicate, and she has to figure out what they need. There are relationships with her co-workers and family that add to the weight on her shoulders. With that much on her plate, Grace obviously struggles, and those moments of vulnerability are well done by Larson. But there is a hope and a sense of bravery the future Oscar winner gives to the character. Through the moments of hopelessness and struggle, Larson holds this movie by pushing through and being a supporter for all the kids in her care. For such a serious subject, her performance manages to bring an odd sense of magic to this picture. It’s unquestionable proof of Larson’s capability as an actor. (Sam Nichols)
Fast X
The franchise I never thought would have more than two movies released its 10th entry this summer. Fast X continues the Toretto family story with a new villain, Dante (Jason Momoa), who seeks revenge against Dom (Vin Diesel) and crew after the events of Fast Five. Brie Larson also joins this ever-growing cast as Tess, the daughter of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). Even though Tess really only serves the purpose of putting God’s Eye into Dante’s well-manicured hands, Larson is always a welcomed appearance. I have been a fan of hers for years, and she brings a freshness to this long-running franchise. I hope we get to see more of her character in the films to come. Fast X feels like a semi return to some normalcy for the franchise, as it revisits a storyline from one of the better movies, leaving me desperately waiting for the finale to see how Dom saves his growing family. (Austen Terry)
Also See: Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Unicorn Store, Trainwreck, Greenberg