Unicorn Store

Last updated
Unicorn Store
Unicorn Store (Netflix poster).png
Official release poster
Directed by Brie Larson
Written bySamantha McIntyre
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrett Pawlak
Edited byJennifer Vecchiarello
Music by Alex Greenwald
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • September 11, 2017 (2017-09-11)(TIFF)
  • April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Unicorn Store is a 2017 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed, co-produced by and starring Brie Larson (in her feature film directorial debut). The cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford, Karan Soni, Mamoudou Athie, Mary Holland and Hamish Linklater.

Contents

It premiered during the Special Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was released on April 5, 2019 by Netflix. The film received mixed reviews with critics praising the performances and Larson's potential as a filmmaker while some lamented the screenplay as too "immature" and "whimsical".

Plot

Kit, a failed artist, moves back in with her parents and takes a temp job at a PR agency. At work, Kit meets the vice president, Gary, who is extremely awkward and makes inappropriate advances.

Shortly after starting, Kit receives a mysterious letter from "The Salesman" who invites her to "The Store," that sells "what you need." He offers her to fulfill her childhood fantasy of owning a unicorn. Kit must prepare by meeting specific requirements in files.

The first file outlines how to provide an adequate unicorn living enclosure. Kit hires Virgil, a hardware store employee, to build a stable without telling him what for. Soon, they begin to talk and spend time together. The second file tells Kit she must prepare to feed the unicorn. Kit and Virgil buy hay on a day trip together and further get to know each other.

Gary offers Kit an opportunity to present a vacuum cleaner marketing pitch. During this time, Kit receives the next file and learns she must be able to surround the unicorn with a loving environment, but realizes her poor relationship with her parents prevents this.

On the weekend Kit should be preparing her work presentation, but goes on an "Emotion Quest" wilderness trip with her parents, confronting them during the 'truth circle' time, leading to a family discussion. They end up arguing, furthering tensions between her and her parents.

Once Kit returns home, she finds inspiration for her presentation and works all night. The next file says she must show that she can financially support the unicorn.

Kit's flamboyant presentation is not well-received by the business executives, who watch in stunned silence. They unanimously opt for a different pitch, using an attractive model. Kit leaves her job. On a date with Virgil, he asks her to reveal the secret of the stable's purpose. Kit tells him about the unicorn store, bringing him to it, only to find it is gone. Kit's confusion turns to anger as she feels betrayed. Virgil becomes concerned, telling her that she's been conned, but assuring her that he doesn't think she's crazy. Kit exits angrily, leaving Virgil standing there, where he sees some hay on the ground.

Kit gives up on her dream of owning a unicorn and throws out all of her art and supplies. After a healing moment with her mother, Kit tries to reach out to Virgil, visits his store, but is unable to get in touch with him. She leaves an apologetic message on his voicemail, and later finds that Virgil has finished the stable, decorating it with the artwork that she had thrown out.

The Salesman calls to tell Kit the unicorn has arrived. When she hesitates, the Salesman tells her there is another waiting if Kit doesn't get it. Virgil urges Kit not to go. Despondent, Kit says if she doesn't go, she will always wonder. When she arrives, Kit finds the unicorn is actually there. She talks to the unicorn, thanking him when he was there for her when nobody else was, and finally gains closure. She decides not to take the unicorn with her, and leaves it for the next customer. Virgil comes in and sees the unicorn as well. They leave hand-in-hand, astonished at all they had just experienced.

Cast

Various crew members appear in brief roles, including: writer Samantha McIntyre as Sam, a woman also seeking a unicorn; composer Alex Greenwald as a ninja; production designer Matt Luem as Jonathan Scott, Kit's art professor; and executive producer Nathan Kelly as David Davidson Jr. Toks Olagundoye and Jack J. Yang cameo as Scott's fellow art professors.

Production

Larson had previously auditioned to be in the film but failed to get the part, but five years later was invited to come on board as director. [1]

Principal photography began in November 2016, in Los Angeles, California and concluded on December 9, 2016. [2] [3]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2017. [4] [5] On January 9, 2019, it was revealed that Netflix picked up the distribution rights. [6] It was released on April 5, 2019. [7]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 90 reviews, with an average rating of 5.96/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "It'll be best enjoyed by audiences with a high tolerance for colorful whimsy, but Unicorn Store is easy to like — and it suggests Brie Larson has a future behind the camera." [8] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 44 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent gave it a positive review, praising its "earnest emotion" and "joyous celebration of femininity." [10] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly rated it "B", and called it "A candy-coated, willfully quirky wisp of a film; like a Michel Gondry fantasy dipped in glitter and rainbow sprinkles." [11] Tim Grierson of Screen International wrote "Both skewering and celebrating its adult protagonist's childlike wonder, Unicorn Store runs the risk of excessive whimsy at every turn. But Larson navigates through a cute story's clear limitations to deliver a film that's often quite funny." [12]

Peter Debruge from Variety was critical of the film, saying it fails to create the right tonal balance, and labeled it "a creative misfire". [1] IGN 's Kristy Puchko gave the film 4.3 out of 10, and stated "Despite all the magic, unicorns, and glitter, there's not much fun or whimsy to Unicorn Store. Its wonder is punctured by Kit's perpetually prickly attitude. Its humor is dulled by Larson's incoherent comedy stylings" [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Cusack</span> American actress (born 1962)

Joan Mary Cusack is an American actress and comedian. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama Working Girl (1988) and the romantic comedy In & Out (1997). Her other starring roles include those in Toys (1992), Addams Family Values (1993), Nine Months (1995), Cradle Will Rock (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008). She has also provided the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story franchise (1999–present), for which she won an Annie Award, and Abby Mallard in Chicken Little (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brie Larson</span> American actress (born 1989)

Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers, known professionally as Brie Larson, is an American actress. Known for her supporting roles in comedies as a teenager, she has since expanded to leading roles in independent films and blockbusters. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Brie</span> American actress (born 1982)

Alison Brie Schermerhorn is an American actress. Her breakthrough came with the role of Trudy Campbell in the drama series Mad Men (2007–2015), which earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award. She gained recognition for her role as Annie Edison in the sitcom Community (2009–2015) and voicing Diane Nguyen in the animated comedy series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020). For playing Ruth Wilder in the comedy-drama series GLOW (2017–2019), she received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leah Lewis</span> American actress (born 1996)

Leah Lewis is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Georgia "George" Fan in The CW series adaptation of Nancy Drew (2019–2023) and Ellie Chu in the Netflix comedy-drama film The Half of It (2020). She also has starred in her voice lead role as Ember Lumen in the Pixar animated film Elemental (2023).

<i>Short Term 12</i> 2013 film by Destin Daniel Cretton

Short Term 12 is a 2013 American independent drama film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. It is adapted from Cretton's short film of the same name, produced in 2009. The film stars Brie Larson as Grace Howard, a young supervisor of a group home for troubled teenagers. The film was the first leading performance of Larson's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destin Daniel Cretton</span> American filmmaker

Destin Yori Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his films Short Term 12 (2013), The Glass Castle (2017), Just Mercy (2019) and the Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).

<i>Captain Marvel</i> (film) 2019 Marvel Studios film

Captain Marvel is a 2019 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck from a screenplay they co-wrote with Geneva Robertson-Dworet. It stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law. Set in 1995, the story follows Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after Earth is caught in a galactic conflict.

<i>Room</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Lenny Abrahamson

Room is a 2015 internationally co-produced survival psychological drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her 2010 novel. It stars Brie Larson as a young woman who has been held captive for seven years and whose five-year-old son was born in captivity. Their escape allows the boy to experience the outside world for the first time. The film also stars Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus and William H. Macy.

<i>The Glass Castle</i> (2017 film) 2017 American drama film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

The Glass Castle is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Cretton, Andrew Lanham, and Marti Noxon. It is based on Jeannette Walls' 2005 best-selling memoir of the same name. Depicting Walls' childhood, where her family lived in poverty and sometimes as squatters, the film stars Brie Larson as Walls, with Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, Max Greenfield, and Sarah Snook in supporting roles.

<i>Bad Samaritan</i> (film) 2018 American film

Bad Samaritan is a 2018 American thriller film directed by Dean Devlin and written by Brandon Boyce. The film stars David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, with Carlito Olivero, Kerry Condon, and Jacqueline Byers in supporting roles. Sheehan portrays the title character, a parking valet who burgles the houses of the drivers he services, only to discover one of his rich customers (Tennant) is a serial killer. It was released in the United States on May 4, 2018, and received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Underwater</i> (film) 2020 film directed by William Eubank

Underwater is a 2020 American science fiction action horror film directed by William Eubank. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and T.J. Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamoudou Athie</span> American actor (born 1988)

Mamoudou Athie is a Mauritanian-born American actor. Athie began his career in theater— starring Off-Broadway in 2015 in The Mystery of Love and Sex, he subsequently had supporting roles in films Patti Cake$ (2017), The Circle (2017), Unicorn Store (2017), The Front Runner (2018), Underwater (2020), Jurassic World Dominion (2022), The Burial (2023), and Kinds of Kindness (2024), and in the television series The Get Down (2016–2017), The Detour (2017), Sorry for Your Loss (2018–2019), and the FXX anthology Cake (2019). He had his first feature film starring roles in 2020, starring in Uncorked and Black Box, and had the leading role in the Netflix horror series Archive 81 (2022). He also voiced Wade Ripple in the Pixar animated film Elemental (2023).

<i>Sorry for Your Loss</i> American drama web television series

Sorry for Your Loss is an American drama series created by Kit Steinkellner that premiered on September 18, 2018 on Facebook Watch. The series follows a young widow and her family as they struggle to cope with the unexpected death of her husband and stars Elizabeth Olsen, Kelly Marie Tran, Jovan Adepo, Mamoudou Athie, and Janet McTeer. On December 13, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on October 1, 2019.

<i>Someone Great</i> (film) 2019 film by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Someone Great is a 2019 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film stars Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, DeWanda Wise, Lakeith Stanfield, and Peter Vack.

<i>Uncorked</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Prentice Penny

Uncorked is a 2020 American drama film, written and directed by Prentice Penny. It stars Mamoudou Athie, Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash, Matt McGorry, Sasha Compère, Gil Ozeri, Kelly Jenrette, Bernard David Jones, Melisia Lomax and Meera Rohit Kumbhani.

Sasha Compère is an actress known for her roles in the television shows Miracle Workers, Love Life, and Single Drunk Female and in the film Uncorked.

Liz Flahive is an American playwright, television producer and writer. Beginning her career as a playwright, Flahive wrote two plays, From Up Here and The Madrid. She acted as a producer, executive story editor, and writer on Nurse Jackie, as well as a producer and writer for Homeland. She later co-created, executive produced, and wrote the Netflix comedy GLOW, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018. She also co-wrote the film Adult Beginners and helped write the Marvel film Captain Marvel.

<i>Black Box</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.

Black Box is a 2020 American science fiction horror film directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. and written by him and Stephen Herman. The film stars Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola and Charmaine Bingwa. Jason Blum executive produced under his Blumhouse Television banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Danvers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Brie Larson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by her alias, Captain Marvel. Danvers is initially depicted as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who was given superhuman abilities when a light-speed engine test went wrong and she was exposed to the cosmic energy of the Tesseract. She was subsequently transformed into a Human-Kree hybrid via blood transfusion and renamed Vers.

References

  1. 1 2 DeBruge, Peter (September 11, 2017). "Toronto Film Review: 'Unicorn Store'". Variety .
  2. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (November 14, 2016). "Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford Join Brie Larson's 'Unicorn Store'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  3. ↑ Larson, Brie (December 9, 2016). "Last day of filming got me like". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ Pond, Steve (15 August 2017). "Aaron Sorkin, Brie Larson, Louis CK Movies Added to Toronto Film Festival Lineup". TheWrap . Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Unicorn Store". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mavity, Will (January 10, 2019). "Breaking (I think?): Brie Larson's directorial debut, Unicorn Store has been acquired by Netflix for a streaming release later this year". Twitter.
  7. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 31, 2019). "Brie Larson & Lynette Howell Taylor Set Two Films At Netflix; Larson To Next Star In 'Lady Business'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Unicorn Store (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Unicorn Store Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  10. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse (5 April 2019). "Unicorn Store review: Brie Larson's directorial debut is a joyous celebration of femininity". The Independent. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "Unicorn Store". Entertainment Weekly . April 4, 2019.
  12. ↑ Grierson, Tim (September 13, 2017). "'Unicorn Store': Toronto Review" . Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  13. ↑ Puchko, Kristy (April 5, 2019). "NETFLIX'S UNICORN STORE REVIEW". IGN . Retrieved April 13, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.