A curated look at the 15 best Brie Larson movies, from indie standouts to major studio hits. A playful, opinionated rundown of her most memorable performances.
Trying to narrow down Brie Larson’s best movies is a bit like opening a box labeled “miscellaneous” and realizing it’s secretly full of gems. She’s jumped from indie dramas to superhero blockbusters with the same ease she uses to deliver a deadpan punchline. And whether she’s playing someone quietly unraveling or loudly saving the world, there’s always a spark that makes you lean in a little closer.
This list takes a look at the performances where Larson leaves a mark – the bold choices, the unexpected turns, the roles that prove she’s far more versatile than the internet gives her credit for. Some films are small, some are loud, some are deeply strange in the best way. But in each one, she brings something sharp, thoughtful, and unmistakably her own.
15. Rampart (2011)
Brie Larson doesn’t steal Rampart, but she certainly leaves a bruise. In the morally tangled world of a corrupt LAPD officer played by Woody Harrelson, her role as his daughter is one of the few windows into his internal life. She gives her character a kind of wary intelligence, like she’s watching everything collapse but still thinking about how to piece something back together. The movie itself is gritty, slow-burning, and doesn’t apologize for its darkness – Larson matches that pace with raw subtlety. Even though she’s not the center of the scandal, her presence makes the emotional stakes feel more personal, not just procedural. It’s not an easy film, but her grounded performance makes it feel real.
14. The Gambler (2014)
This remake of the classic gambling drama gives Larson a complicated role: she’s Amy, a student entangled with a high-risk professor (Mark Wahlberg), and she brings more depth than a typical “love interest” card. There’s a tension in her performance – she’s drawn in, but also deeply wary of his self-destructive spiral. The film thrives on high stakes, both financially and emotionally, and she helps humanize what could otherwise feel like textbook addiction. At times the script veers into melodrama, but Larson grounds those moments with sincerity: her character isn’t just collateral damage, she’s actively part of the risk. She sells Amy’s hope, frustration, and care in the same breath. The result is a small but memorable contribution to a movie about how we gamble with our own lives.
13. The Glass Castle (2017)
Adapted from Jeannette Walls’s memoir, this film gives Larson a chance to play someone whose life is painfully beautiful – raised by parents who are dreamers and drifters, she learns that love doesn’t always fix things. Her portrayal of Walls is tender and wary in equal measure, like someone holding onto a rose thorn. The movie doesn’t shy away from family dysfunction, but its direction sometimes softens the edges; Larson’s performance brings back some of that rawness, especially in scenes where resilience meets regret. It’s not glamorized: her ambition, her shame, and her defiance all flicker in her expressions without being spelled out. The pacing on the emotional crustiness could be sharper, but she almost carries it on faith. This is one of her more quietly powerful performances.
12. Fast X (2023)
Joining the Fast & Furious universe is a bold move, and Larson plays Tess, a rogue operative who shakes up the franchise’s usual “family” dynamic. She’s quick-witted and tough – not just in the physical sense, though she handles the action just fine. Her moments aren’t always central to the plot, and sometimes her character feels more like a plot device than a fully fleshed-out person. But Larson brings enough spunk and nuance that you feel there’s more there than what the script gives her. In a movie where cars fly and loyalties shift by the second, she anchors some emotional gravity – you sense she’s not just there for the car chases, she’s got her own agenda. It’s a fun, flashy role, and she leans into that action-movie energy without losing her own grounded spark.
11. Kong: Skull Island (2017)
A monster movie on paper, but Larson’s presence plants something human right in the middle of all the chaos. She’s part of an expedition to a mysterious island, and her character isn’t just screaming: She’s documenting, questioning, surviving. The film leans hard into spectacle – massive creatures, helicopter drops, lush landscapes – yet Larson brings a sincerity that adds a touch of realism: she’s not just there for the visual effects. Her moments of quiet observation like watching the first signs of Kong emerge feel surprisingly grounded amid the madness. It’s easy to get lost in the monster fight, but she reminds you why humans go on these expeditions in the first place. Not her deepest performance, but definitely one of her most fun and ambitious.
10. Unicorn Store (2017)
There’s a stubborn, childlike logic to this film’s imagination – a pastel fable about holding on to what makes you weird – and the movie works best when it leans into that unabashed silliness. Brie Larson directs with a warm, slightly awkward charm that matches the script’s insistence on whimsy over polish; the result feels like someone staging a backyard play with huge ambitions. The character’s fear of “growing up” is played honestly rather than coyly, and Larson gives the role enough earnestness to keep the sentiment from tipping into saccharine. It’s uneven, sure – some beats land, others drift – but there’s an honesty here that’s rare in calibrated indie comedies. There’s also a sense that Larson is having fun making something personal, which makes the film oddly endearing. If you’re willing to forgive its flutters, it rewards you with genuine, goofy heart.
9. Free Fire (2016)
What begins as a murky arms-deal meetup quickly turns into a comic, chaotic bloodbath, and the movie’s joy is in maintaining that one-room absurdity for its runtime. The script gives Brie Larson a smart, sardonic presence amid the shootout; she plays someone who’s clearly smarter than most of the idiots around her and refuses to be a punching bag. The film isn’t interested in deep character work – it’s kinetic, witty, and occasionally intentionally stupid – but her dry reactions help the audience find a center amid the mayhem. There’s a wild theatricality to the whole enterprise, and Larson’s grounded impatience is the emotional glue. It won’t convince anyone looking for nuance, but as a gleeful exercise in escalating chaos, it’s hard not to smile. The movie knows what it is and mostly commits to it.
8. Digging for Fire (2015)
An offhand backyard discovery sends a couple on a small, reflective detour, and the film thrives in those hazy, uncertain spaces between curiosity and consequence. Larson’s contribution is quietly resonant: she drops into the film with a lived-in ease, offering moments that feel like overheard, intimate truths rather than performance flourishes. The movie is loose, conversational, and often improvisational, so her restraint serves it well – she adds texture without ever trying to dominate the mood. There’s a melancholy undercurrent here about choices and the small ways we test ourselves, and she fits naturally into that tenor. It’s the kind of role that proves charisma can be subtle: you remember the feeling of her scenes more than any single line. The result is a small film that lingers quietly.
7. 21 Jump Street (2012)
This reboot somehow manages both to lampoon teen-movie tropes and to deliver genuinely funny bromance energy, and the supporting cast is a big part of why it works. Her role skews refreshingly realistic: sharp, unimpressed, and not interested in enabling dumb adult behavior, which makes the comedy around her sharper. The movie trades on high-concept jokes and physical gags, but Brie brings a normalcy that keeps the film from turning entirely into madcap chaos. She’s the kind of supporting presence that elevates rather than distracts, offering real chemistry and timing with the leads. The film’s pacing is brisk, its jokes land, and her grounded reactions make the absurdity feel earned. It’s a small but memorable turn in a very loud, very funny movie.
6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
The film is a sensory onslaught – comic-book edits, split screens, and arcade-style fights – and in that feverish world, a cool, bitter rock star makes for an irresistible foil. Larson’s performance cuts through the noise by leaning into an icy charisma: she’s glamorous, distant, and sharp enough to make the protagonist look both pathetic and pitiable. There’s a delicious cruelty to the portrayal that never quite becomes mean-spirited; instead, it reveals the consequences of fame and ego in the movie’s offbeat universe. The role could have easily been a one-note afterthought, but she stretches it into something memorable and a little dangerous. Even in a film that delights in stylized excess, she finds room for a distinct, magnetic beat.
5. Just Mercy (2019)
This legal drama gives Larson an opportunity to lean into gravitas: she plays Eva Ansley, the steadfast supporter of Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) in a battle to free a wrongly convicted man. The film doesn’t sugarcoat the brutality of the justice system, and Larson’s grounded performance provides a solid emotional foundation amid the courtroom tension. She’s compassionate but not naïve, signaling both her character’s passion and her quiet frustration. At times the narrative leans into familiar “injustice biopic” territory, but she brings enough integrity to make you care deeply about the stakes. Her interactions with Stevenson feel real – not just convenient cinematic devices, but moments of genuine partnership. Even when the movie risks getting didactic, Larson’s presence keeps it human.
4. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
In Marvel’s epic conclusion (well, until the next one), Larson’s Captain Marvel doesn’t just show up to punch things – she brings heart, power, and a subtle sense of purpose. The sheer scale of the movie is wild: time travel, cosmic stakes, emotional payoffs… and she holds her own in a sea of heavyweight characters. She’s not in every scene, but when she is, she brings a calm strength that balances the chaos. Some might argue her arc is a bit undercooked compared to the original Avengers, but she makes the most of her moments, especially when sacrifice enters the picture. The film’s emotional resonance often depends on its ensemble, and she helps make the big moments land. For a franchise film, she brings just enough nuance to feel like more than just a power-puncher.
3. The Spectacular Now (2013)
This coming-of-age gem doesn’t revolve around Larson’s character, but her supporting turn adds a lovely, grounded shade to an already thoughtful film. The movie centers on teenage uncertainty, and Larson plays a young adult on the edges of someone else’s complicated romance – she’s smart, real, and just a little wistful. Her presence feels effortless, like a friend you bump into at a high school party, offering a quiet foil to the film’s main tension. Even though she doesn’t dominate the screen, she makes you wish she had more to do: her small moments feel full of possibility. The movie is honest about youth, never idealizing it, and her performance mirrors that realism. In a story about figuring out who you are right now, she nails the “who might I become” undercurrent.
2. Short Term 12 (2013)
This movie is what many consider Larson’s breakthrough in serious drama: she plays Grace, a supervisor at a group home for at-risk teens, and she’s both strong and deeply wounded. The film doesn’t hand her a perfect redemption arc – instead, we see her fragile confidence, her fear of failing, and her fierce need to connect. Larson’s performance feels lived-in and honest, not showy, and she carries much of the emotional ballast of the film with subtle shifts in her eyes and voice. The story itself is intimate, raw, and sometimes brutally real about how trauma echoes, and she mirrors that tone beautifully. Rather than being a neat “make-good” movie, it’s messy, hopeful, and grounded – and she feels like a real person, not an archetype. For a small indie, it has big heart, and she’s at its heart.
1. Room (2015)
Larson’s portrayal of Joy “Ma” Newsome is devastating, courageous, and deeply intimate – this is not a performance that wastes a second. Trapped in a tiny room with her son, she conveys desperation, fierce protectiveness, and a heartbreaking tenderness all at once. The film transitions from claustrophobic terror to fragile freedom, and Larson rides that shift flawlessly, making you feel the weight of survival and the dizzying risk of rebuilding life. Her bond with Jacob Tremblay (as her son) is achingly real: playful, tender, strained, and always honest. Even when the story ventures into melodrama, she anchors it, keeping the emotional truth front and center. By the end, her performance stays with you – Joy isn’t just a survivor, she’s someone who rebuilds, and Larson makes you believe in her.