Brie Larson makes her directorial debut with the pastel naïveté of Unicorn Store
Film Reviews Movie Review
“Adulting” is an irritating word for a relatable concept. Those among us lucky enough to have enjoyed idyllic childhoods are naturally reluctant to leave them behind for the drudgery of the grown-up world. Brie Larson, who makes her directorial debut with Unicorn Store, has been a working actress since the age of 9; whether that childhood counts as idyllic, only Larson really knows. But there’s something that drew Larson to this story of an art-school dropout stuck in a state of wide-eyed naïveté well into her 20s, a woman old enough to have a temp job at a marketing agency who surrounds herself with stuffed animals and sits at her cubicle doodling magical woodland creatures.
In fact, Kit (Larson) is childlike enough that you wonder if she’s living with some sort of developmental disorder. Either that or her parents, Gene (Bradley Whitford) and Gladys (Joan Cusack), who run a therapeutic camp for troubled teenagers, are so devoted to their work that they’ve completely neglected to tend to their only daughter’s emotional well-being. Neither of these threads are explored in the film, which treats Kit’s extreme innocence—Was she home schooled? Did she spend a few years in a hospital, maybe?—as a priori fact. Of course, cynically searching for the dark underbelly of any situation is a very adult state of mind, and nothing about this film is adult.
That’s by design, as Larson has filled Unicorn Store with rainbows and soft pastels, whimsical costumes, and gently satirical digs at corporate and consumerist culture. The cohesion of look, tone, and Larson’s performance as Kit—she gives off the vibe of a little girl in a pair of her mother’s high heels, pretending to be a glamorous adult woman—all point toward her promise as a director. And the script, from sitcom writer Samantha McIntyre, is full of amusing side jokes and one-liners, even if some of them steer dangerously close to sassy-greeting-card territory. But unlike, say, Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, which makes a point of underlining the tension between its starry-eyed protagonist and the rest of the world, Unicorn Store is so myopically intent on creating a whimsical bubble for its protagonist to live in that it ends up trapping itself inside.
The basic, high-concept premise is that just when Kit gives in to the pressure to grow up, her childhood dream comes calling. Or rather, it arrives in the mail, in the form of an Instagram-ready personalized invitation to come and visit a place simply called “The Store.” Once inside, she is greeted by “The Salesman” (Samuel L. Jackson, in a truly puzzling wig), who presents Kit with a tableau of immature delights that seems to have been assembled just for her. Then, he drops a bit of information that would make any horse girl’s head explode with delight: This isn’t just any store. It’s a unicorn store, and once he’s completed the paperwork, he’s got a unicorn just for her. No catch, she’s just got to put on her Tinkerbell wings and believe.
A more mature movie would have registered the psychotic potential of such an experience early on. Here, it comes late in the film, once Kit opens up to Virgil (Mamoudou Athie), the hardware store clerk she hires to build a stable in her backyard, about the true nature of the project he’s been working on for the past several weeks. This should be a dramatic conflict, but again, Larson has spun a cotton-candy nest around the character of Kit that’s a little too insulated, dulling the impact of the reveal. (See also: the horribly misjudged sexual harassment subplot.)
That’s not to say that there aren’t pleasant aspects of this terminally perky film: Larson’s assured use of color and tone effectively evokes a particular moment in girl-culture time that may prove powerfully nostalgic to older millennials. And the comedic chemistry between Larson and Jackson is as effective as it was in Captain Marvel—it’s fun to think about these unlikely BFFs hanging out and eating ice cream. Still, there’s a reason that Unicorn Store, which premiered back in 2017 at the Toronto International Film Festival, is only coming out now, after the release of the aforementioned MCU blockbuster. It’s a candy necklace of a movie: sweet but chalky.
89 Comments
“It’s a candy necklace of a movie: sweet but chalky.”Huh — with Brie directing I would’ve expected the movie to be less chalky and more…*puts on sunglasses*…cheesy.
I simply camembert the prospect of another pun thread.
I think this might be a pretty gouda one though.
Well, no use complaining once the pun thread becomes a feta ccompli.
Take your goddamn star.
Shut it down. Shut down the thread. No one else is going to type anything better.
I don’t know, I think it Colby good to hear some more.
Or it curd end in disaster!
But as de Gaulle said, how can anyone limit a critic that has two hundred and forty-six different types of pairings? There’s Morbier where that came from. (Buyer Gruyère.)
I just Bleu through five, or at least Fourme. I Cantal, but I Maytag Emmental block: Queso stomach, brain Fog — no idea what Causses it, or what a Curd.
Sharp observation.
[Takes upvote star, sharpens points, and hurls it at Miller’s sunglasses].
YEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!You missed, actually. Just singing along with Daltrey.
Take that back, you muenster. You don’t know jack about cheese puns.
SIR
I fondue your puns to be whey too over the topping, though I still dairy you to try and milk the whole thing dry…
Definitely sounds like it would grate on you after a while.
Sounds like this movie’s tone was a mistake; a cheesestake, you might say.
Always good to have that cheese pun handyIn queso emergency
That was a very gouda pun.
Larceny?
I love eating Brie.If you’ll pardon the pun.
Now you just made it weird.
I don’t get it
Point of order: It’s entirely possible to have had a less than idyllic childhood and still feel like, for lack of a better term, that “adulting is hard”.
Case in point: Michael Jackson.
Jackson did his best to make other people’s childhoods less than idyllic
Also doesn’t help that millennials adults are saddled with a lot more debt in their 20s and 30s which makes traditional adulting (having children, buying a home, having non-student debt repayment obligations) even harder to do.
Don’t forget that plus the fact that most life praccing classes have been cut from schools due to budget cuts and standardised testing.
Eh I think having to go fight wars or stay at home with your other half probably getting blown up or coming back with PTSD is harder
We’ve all met people like this, and you watch the adults in their life pick up the slack and enable them, and so I just can’t fathom taking the Neighborhood Trolley downtown to watch this dreck.
How can you review this movie and NOT mention Kate Veatch from Dodgeball?
because nobody knows who the fuck that is
Aapparently we don’t now.
What does Christine Taylor have to do with this movie?
That’s ex-Mrs. Stiller to you!
The only thing I need to know is if my wife going to be super pissed at me for showing her this movie if it turns out there aren’t any actual unicorns in it.
Will you have to watch Cabin in the Woods right after to get the taste out of your mouth?
Larson comes off as if she’s playing a developmentally challenged person in the trailer. The bit about Larson and Sam L’s chemistry being as effective as it was in Captain Marvel is hilarious. So yeah all the chemistry of 2 actors paid millions of dollars to pretend to be friendly with each other and failing at every turn to achieve anything close to a genuine human interaction. Cant wait to see all the try hard goofs trying to defend this cringe fest.
So this . . . thing . . . gets the same grade from you guys as ‘Diane’, huh?
God, I miss Vishnevetsky.
Both movies’ reviews – written by different individuals, not by a “you guys” – make a perfectly fine case for them getting that grade.
You’re a nosy fella, kitty cat.
God I wish dumbasses would learn how movie critique works
Guess you got me, knappster.
I feel it’s the letter grades. Dredges up some sort of latent high school academic competition in the brain of some. Despite the thousands of letters dedicated to clearly explaining the reviewer’s perspective it’s that single one at the top that occupies all brain real estate when making a comment about the review
If only he had been able to review Shazam! or The Hummingbird Project or Relaxer or Captain Marvel or What Men Want or
He’s about the only one I rate.
Yeah, well the Jerk Store called…
Spoiler: She gets a unicorn, but it’s in a coma.
(Samuel L Jackson, in a truly puzzling wig)He’s obviously Padawan David S. Pumpkins. Duh.
I thought he was Moss’ dad.
Really appreciate how the tossed-off observation of that line serves as a dry payoff to the did-I-just-see-that-right header image.
David S. PumpkinsI thought the internet agreed to let that one die. I must have missed a meeting. DAMN it!
Spoiler alert: This movie is a stealth Unbreakable prequel.
Eraserhead’s gentle twin?
Reporter: Hey Sam, what was up with that wig?Sam:
Oh Brie…a Magic Black Man? Really?
Here’s guessing you could point that out to her, and she’d just look back at you, not even comprehending the issue in question…
Or she’d say “No but see it’s all good because I cast Samuel L. Jackson.”
by his own admission samuel l. jackson “begged” her for the role. he wasn’t what she had in mind but she couldn’t turn down samuel l. motherfucking jackson.
Even odds she originally wanted Morgan Freeman.
Here’s hoping Larson’s contract includes a “must share screentime with Samuel L. Jackson” clause in it.
I haven’t seen Captain Marvel (not for any butthurt MRA reasons or anything like that, but because I have a hard time getting to the movies unless it’s something my 4 and 8 year old want to see), so I assumed at first that was a CM screen grab. I was like “Okay, I have GOT to see Captain Marvel now.”
I’m hoping brighter minds will re-cut and overdub this to be Captain Marvel’s strangest mission that she and Nick Fury refuse to talk about.
This was the weirdest Captain Marvel scene.
A while ago (can’t remember where), someone raised the question of which movie’s title, on its own, would keep you from ever seeing it. At the time, I didn’t have an answer.
Spoiler: she gets the unicorn, and it dies a week later because she lacks any sort of sense of responsibility and zero open land. The last 20 minutes involve her breaking a sewage line as she attempts to dig a grave for her dead unicorn after ordering $5000 of pink flowers for a funeral even her parents are too embarrassed to attend.The last shot of the movie is Sam Jackson again, but this time, he’s selling her meth.Note: this is not an actual spoiler.
She’s Brie Larson and she’s magic and her hair probably smells like cinnamon and no one shall besmirch her name!!
This doesn’t really seem like my sort of thing, but I’m happy Brie Larson seems pretty good at directing even if the plot/story of the film isn’t very good in the end. She’s already proved herself to be an incredible actress a million times over, and based on this (and other) reviews, she seems just as adept behind the camera as she is in front of it
This sounds like something Buddy the Elf would write and direct.
What the hell happened to Brie Larson? Seriously, she was a talented actress (and adorable to boot), but then—after a couple cosmetic surgeries and an Oscar—she’s locked herself into “important artist mode.” She’s so thirsty for the appearance of wokeness and prestige these days that it’s off-putting. Ever check out her Instagram feed? I wonder if she still has another facial expression besides the one I’m currently calling “transcendent earnestness.” It’s all just so “significant” and seemingly joyless.
FROM THE VISIONARY AUTEUR OF “FINALLY OUT OF P.E.”jk if ever a show was good solely because of its three leads (collette gilchrist and she), it was “The U.S. of Tara,” Larson was obviously a star (coughscrewjohncorbett) (oh wait rosemarie dewitt was in it too wow)
(Samuel L. Jackson, in a truly puzzling wig)That’s kinda his thing though. I mean the guy’s a great actor but even more than shouting “Motherfucker” at people, playing characters with curious hair is his trademark
(Samuel L. Jackson, in a truly puzzling wig)That’s kinda his thing though. I mean the guy’s a great actor but even more than shouting “Motherfucker” at people, playing characters with curious hair is his trademark
Captain Marvel 2 is not what I expected.
Is there going to be a Unicorn Penis?Because if it does, then I am in.
Now is he one of them ‘Magic Black Men’?
The last movie I saw that talked about imaginary things for what I swear, had a horse penis.I hope this movie has a unicorn penis just to make it even.
Ugh
This feels like the kind of movie i’d hate but struggle to articulate why without coming off like a cynical asshole.
But have you seen my avatar? I’m down with light and whimsical works – but live action works so often seem to fail at getting it right. The only way I can think of descrbing it is “trying too hard.” Juno always stands out to me about a movie that is nominally about a serious subject but is just so darn quirky its clear its meant to be charming – and I hated it too. It’s the difference between a Beatrix Potter sketch and a Lisa Frank drawing. They are both, technically speaking, whimsical . -but the potter sketch is un-self conscious and sweet, not garish and vulgar. Frank’s work always feels like a parody of itself – Potter didn’t need to give her characters enormous eyes and an LSD wonderland to romp around in – – she just let them live ordinary lives while being kind of furry and cute.
Lisa Frank always looks like a parody of itself, that’s how ouroboric it feels. Stuff like Juno are artless in their quirky whimsy, and this Larson movie feels the same way.
Juno is only quirky insofar as it reflects the tryhard quirkiness of its teenage characters, who use it to seem cool and detached. But a major part of the movie is Juno having to grow up beyond that in the situation she’s in, and it ultimately has a mature attitude towards Garner and Bateman, not buying in the latter’s bullshit. All the whimsy is there for a reason.
Indeed, the first half of Juno is borderline fucking nauseating (and I can’t imagine how it holds up now, in an age where we Twitter is ascendant, hell is on Earth and are well and truly past this twee shit). But it’s the basement scene with her and Bateman where the movie immediately stands up straight and starts sending its characters on their arcs, and it winds up honestly being pretty dang good from then on.
I suppose that’s a fair point – it’s a million years since I watched it on a bus while on a six-hour long trip to a drama festival showcase where I won a lighting award (which gives you my entire teenaged experience in a sentence), but I suppose I continue to think fo Juno as the Ur-Quirky movie because that’s largely its reputation: whatever the text of the film may be, what people remember is the tone and timbre of that first half, and nothing else.
Well, that and Michael Cera playing a guitar duet at the end.
“Larson’s assured use of color and tone effectively evokes a particular moment”That’s something I’ve read on my toddler’s preschool report Samuel Jackson’s character kinda sounds like a run of the mill Magical Negro
Lol. A cunt that can’t act, directed a movie, starring herself. She’s so far up her own ass a word for it has yet to be invented…
Is cohesion of vision an indicator of *promise* as a director or just a basic requirement thereof? Not that there aren’t plenty of directors who fail at it but it feels like an awfully low bar. Like…. You can’t deny that Neil Breen has cohesive vision. It might not be *coherent*, but it’s all of a piece. He has vision. Terrible, self-indulgent, narratively batshit vision, but still…
Gotta say as a millennial the whole idea of “adulting” is pretty disgusting. Being in an almost perpetual state of childhood is a perfect way to cultivate narcissism beyond the toddler years and makes people much easier to manipulate into buying shit (so the digs at corporations in the movie are just pathetically useless) but it’s also why we have so many man and woman babies constantly unable to cope with things as they are and constantly appealing to “authority” to fix shit.
Say what you want but she is wearing the hell out of those suits.
IDK. I thought this movie did something really cool, which was to kind of flip the script on the “manic pixie dream girl” trope by telling the story from the pixie’s perspective.