Brie Larson lectures in Lessons in Chemistry (review)

Brie Larson is the radiant incarnation of this ambitious feminist fable, a bit academic in its description of misogynistic America in the 50s and which would have benefited from being more subtle.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen her like this. Mainly focused on blockbusters in recent years – Captain Marvel has Avengers: Endgame Passing by Fast and Furious 10 – Brie Larson takes off her cape to put on the big glasses of a 1950s scientist to Lessons in Chemistry.

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist, who no one takes seriously for the sole reason that she is a woman! Reduced to the job of an assistant despite her obvious skills, Elizabeth never stops proving herself. Then, tired of being humiliated and constantly belittled, she agreed to host a cooking show aimed at housewives, to educate the housewives of America and teach them the sciences and, through them, the art of emancipate oneself.

In a particularly careful “fifties” decorum, the adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’ bestseller unfolds its feminist plot with enthusiasm. The description of the toxic masculinity of the time is particularly scathing, almost too much, bordering on needy caricature, not doing its crucial point any favors.

Lessons in Chemistry would have benefited from more subtlety in its approach to women’s liberation which too often borders on a somewhat conventional war of the sexes. But we manage to get past it, as this historical drama contains such incredible charm, mainly thanks to the charismatic power of its main performer, inhabited by the role and imbued with raw emotion at every moment. Ambitious in form and substance, the lesson is carefully constructed, cleverly enhanced with twists and turns and deliciously dialogued. You will love going to chemistry class!