‘Unicorn Store’ review — Brie Larson’s directorial debut isn’t weird enough

Unicorn Store marks the directorial debut of Oscar-winner Brie Larson, who also stars in the Netflix Original.

30-second review: Unicorn Store has so much going for it — an original premise, terrific cast, directorial debut of one of the best actors working today — but the magic falls flat. That’s no fault of Brie Larson, whose endearing performance and uneven yet promising direction keep the movie afloat. The screenplay just fails to capitalize on the quirkiness of the premise which leaves much to be sought after.

Where to watch Unicorn Store: Available to stream on Netflix.

I can see what Brie Larson saw in Samantha McIntyre‘s screenplay that made her want it to be her directorial debut. The story is a celebration of creativity and weirdness and self-expression. However, not to the fault of Larson’s direction, the screenplay doesn’t offer enough of any of those things to earn its touching ending. Not in its characters or its story. For a movie called Unicorn Store, it wasn’t quite weird enough.

Kit (Larson) is a failed artist who is forced to move back in with her parents (Joan Cusack and Bradley Whitford) after flunking out of art school. Her colorful works featuring rainbows and unicorns are lost on her fellow artists and professors. After toiling her days away on the couch being bombarded with ads that seem targeted at her failure, she decides to get a temp job at an ad agency.

One day, she receives a mysterious letter from a man called The Salesman (Samuel L. Jackson who reunites with Larson after Captain Marvel) who invites her to The Store where he gives her an offer she can’t refuse. If she proves herself worthy by completing a number of tasks, Kit will be gifted a real-live Unicorn — something she’s wanted since childhood.

So, with the help of her newly found friend Virgil (Mamoudou Athie) she sets out on her tasks including building a stable fit for a Unicorn and bringing happiness into her home by repairing her relationship with her parents.

Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson in UNICORN STORE

Larson is great, as usual. She fills Kit out with a childlike wonder that’s endearing while not ignoring the challenges she faces and how they affect her. However, all the other characters around her don’t have the same depth, which is deeply missed. It’s a shame considering great character actors like Cusack, Whitford, and Jackson are in the cast.

While the premise of Unicorn Store has plenty to offer, it never goes far enough. For a brief moment, Kit questions whether or not The Store and The Salesman are actually real, which would make a compelling plot thread had it been explored for more than a scene. The same can be said for Kit’s childhood, which was clearly not the smoothest. It’s alluded to, but never dug into.

There are moments where you can see how this film could work. Particularly in the scene between Jackson and Larson — their chemistry is palpable — and at Kit’s temp job where she has been tasked by the company’s VP (Hamish Linklater) to come up with a vacuum ad. But the movie needed to be weirder or less fanciful. The middle lane it takes wants us to believe magic is real, yet it all feels commonplace.

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Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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Karl Delossantos

Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.