The Friday Five: Brie Larson

The Friday Five: 

Brie Larson

As she's set to play the iconic superhero Captain Marvel, I take a look at my five personal favorite Brie Larson films.

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#5

 Free Fire

Taking place almost entirely in an abandoned warehouse, "Free Fire" features a stellar cast including Larson, Sharlto Copley, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer and Noah Taylor, and focuses on a black-market arms deal that goes deadly - and also humorously - wrong.  Larson plays Justine, the only female in the group, but shows as much gusto and talent as everyone else in the room.

#4

 The Gambler

Brie Larson stars as Amy, a student of literature professor Jim Bennett (played by Mark Wahlberg) who gets romantically involved with him, and tries to help him as he traverses the dark world of gambling and owing debts that seem impossible to play.  This was the real breakout role for Larson, which led her to much bigger and better roles.

#3

 Kong: Skull Island

Set in 1973, "Kong: Skull Island" focuses on a group of soldiers who go to a seemingly isolated island in search of a huge primate named Kong.  Playing anti-war photographer Mason Weaver, Brie Larson reunites with her "The Gambler" co-star John Goodman and future co-star Samuel L. Jackson in this action-adventure spectacle with stellar effects and an iconic movie creature.

#2

 The Glass Castle

 Based on the memoir of Jeannette Walls, "The Glass Castle" tells the story of a very unconventional family - the patriarchs are free-spirited and never stayed in one place too long, and took a very relaxed view to parenting.  Their father (Woody Harrelson) was highly thoughtful and insightful when he was sober, and destructive and dangerous when not, while their mother (Naomi Watts) never wanted to take on the role of mother.  Larson plays the older Walls, who must come to terms with her odd upbringing as she tries to live a "normal" life, as well as face her father and the harm he caused her.

#1

 Room

 In her most critically acclaimed film, Larson stars as Joy Newsome, who's been held captive in a room for seven years.  During that time she gives birth to a son (Jacob Tremblay), who's never seen the outside world until they're rescued, and the young boy gets to experience the real world for the first time.  The film was a breakout for Larson, who earned countless awards (including the coveted Academy Award for Best Actress), and firmly established her as an A-list Hollywood actress.