‘Scott Pilgrim’ Reminds Us That Brie Larson Should Do More Comedy

The Big Picture

• Brie Larson’s portrayal of Envy Adams in
  Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
  is dramatic, biting, and hilarious.
• Larson balances understatement and overexaggeration masterfully well in her role, stealing scenes effortlessly.
• Larson showcases her comedic talent in various roles besides Envy Adams, proving her range in humor and acting skills.

Since her MCU debut in 2019, Brie Larson has been one of Marvel’s heavy hitters in her role as Captain Marvel. Returning to the big screen this year in The Marvels, Larson continues to be a superhero juggernaut as one of the most powerful and underappreciated Avengers today. But before she was shattering spaceships and going toe-to-toe with Thanos, Larson had already achieved immense critical recognition, winning an Academy Award in the heart-wrenching 2015 film, Room. From action blockbuster to personal drama, Brie Larson has demonstrated immense range in her acting skills — but those might not even be her best roles. Before both of those films, Larson appeared in Edgar Wright‘s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World as the over-the-top rock star, Envy Adams. Larson’s performance in that highly stylized and exaggerated movie makes a strong case that her filmography should include plenty more of these roles, as her combination of acting talent, humorous timing, and natural biting snark is a rare mix and impossible to fake in the best absurd comedies.

Brie Larson’s Envy Adams Is Perfectly Dramatic in ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World follows the titular Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a slacker bass player who develops a crush on the mysterious new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). However, in order to date her, Scott first has to defeat her seven evil exes — an already difficult task made even more complicated when faced with her third evil ex, Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), a rival bass player who happens to be dating one of Scott’s exes, Envy Adams, played by Brie Larson. Together, Envy and Todd are a couple in a band known as The Clash at Demonhead, a wildly successful rock band inspired by the real-life band Metric.

Envy Adams’ introduction is foreshadowed far earlier than her actual appearance, with references and allusions to Scott’s ex-girlfriend. When she finally makes her appearance, Envy is dramatic, biting, and utterly hilarious. Her vocal inflections are exaggerated and intense, with her facial expressions likewise sharp and excessive. Living up to her name, Envy is explicitly jealous of Ramona, yet her status as a rock star keeps her elevated and intimidating to the audience and other characters. Amidst a star-studded ensemble cast that includes household names like Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, and Anna Kendrick, Larson is a scene-stealer with some of the most memorable moments in the film. Larson’s deadpan yet intense vocal tone made for some of the most quotable lines, dropping bars like “Ramona, I like your outfit — affordable?” and “Being vegan just makes you better than most people.”

Acting in comedy films, especially when they veer deep into the absurd territory like Scott Pilgrim, often receives less acclaim for the actual skill behind those performances. All the characters in Scott Pilgrim are meant to be overdramatized and colorful, hearkening back to the story’s origin as a graphic novel by drawing by being as stylized and expressive as they could muster. However, Larson’s portrayal of Envy is a cut above the rest because she is able to maintain that crazy, over-stylized tone of the film without sacrificing any part of good, effective acting skills. After Scott headbutts Todd so hard that he bursts, he shares a sincere moment with Envy in which he apologizes and calls her by her real name, Natalie.

Despite Scott’s genuinely ludicrous actions, Envy shows a moment of real sincerity and sadness. With only a few lines of dialogue and a subtle yet impactful shift in her facial expressions, Larson is able to bring a degree of realism to one of the most excessive characters seen yet. Though the moment is brief, it feels surprisingly grounded and is one of the few moments when the movie takes time to pause its high-energy antics, even if it’s just for a breath. However, Larson doesn’t miss a beat when that respite is over and seamlessly returns to her snarky self when another character swiftly tries to kiss up to her.

Larson balances understatement and over-exaggeration masterfully well, and yet that wasn’t even the full extent of her showcase of talent in this role. In addition to all of that, Larson didn’t just steal scenes during conversations as she even goes beyond the demands of the role and provides the vocals for The Clash at Demonhead’s cover of “Black Sheep.” Her stage presence as a singer, complete with rock star hair flips and sultry dance moves not only match the vibe of the movie, but genuinely make it an engaging performance.

Brie Larson Also Was Hilarious in ’21 Jump Street’

While Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is the most notable of Larson’s comedic outings, she has also shown her knack for humor in smaller roles on television and other films. In the outrageously funny 21 Jump Street, Larson plays Molly, the genuinely sweet love interest to Jonah Hill‘s character. Her character is fairly grounded for most of the movie, playing off Hill’s more humorous character, but after everything hits the fan, Larson conveys a drug-induced, betrayal-fueled rage as she interrupts a drug deal in a prom dress in one of the most ludicrous sequences of the entire film.

In the meta comedy Community, Larson appears in a few episodes as Rachel, Abed’s (Danny Pudi) quirky love interest. This performance was more understated, but fully showed off her quick wit as her dialogue with Abed provided some of the most endearing and grin-inducing interactions in the show. In 2015, she effortlessly played off of Amy Schumer in the hit comedy Trainwreck. These roles show Larson’s ability to remain multi-layered even as she portrays humorous characters, something rare to come by as exaggerated comedy can often fall into the trap of remaining one note and shallow. Brie Larson is set to reprise her role as Envy Adams in the upcoming anime series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which features the star-studded cast of the original film returning as the voice cast for their iconic roles. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off hits Netflix on November 17.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is available to watch on Max in the U.S.

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