Unicorn Store

A girl gets invited by a mysterious stranger to go to a store to get a unicorn. She's wanted one her entire life despite the attempts by her zany parents to normalise her. Sound like a good plot? It's not, but Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson manage to pull this off and turn it into a sweet lovely film about life and dreams, and love and growing up. I think without Jackson and Larson this would have been a ridiculous film that no-one would like, but they made it work and I now forgive Larson for her searingly bad appearance in Kong.

Immersed in a magical realm of glitter, rainbows and unicorns, Kit radiates happiness and positive energy to the outside world. Yet darkness begins to creep into her life. Kit is rejected from art school, cannot find a job or mate, and is subjected to constant needling from parents who are encouraging her to leave the nest. In the face of such pressure, feeling unappreciated and losing faith in her dreams and artistic abilities, Kit displays uncharacteristic behavior. She slips on a bleak business suit and obtains a job at a soul snuffing ad agency with a creepy boss. This is when mysterious invitations arrive at Kit's desk luring her into believing in unicorns again. Friends and family consider an intervention as Kit responds to the invitations, begins building a stable worthy of a unicorn and prepares to smother her unicorn with love.

Brie Larson directs the film and stars as Kit, a creative woman with a fierce desire to be seen for who she truly is. This delightful, quirky and charming film sparkles with feminine energy and pastel colors. Even Samuel Jackson, with a supporting role, is part of the magic and glow. As wonderful as the story is, it needs a little more sophistication and depth, and less straightforwardness. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

I was a little hesitant watching this from other reviews I've read, but I wanted to support Brie Larson on her direction debut. I was not disappointed. The movie is a bit slow to start, but it's great once the pacing gets going. Great casting and writing. It's perfect for the 20 or 30 something who felt like they were "weird" or different growing up or still find that they are still that way now. Great film about believing in yourself and also the impact of mental illness can have on your everyday life. Definitely recommend.

Though the premise is loveably bold, and seemingly fun, Unicorn Store proves to be more awkward and poorly written than it would seem. Brie Larson is at most okay, in this even mess of a film, but its not nearly her acting that is concerning about this picture, but rather her stance as the director. The film seems tonally and emotionally off at times, and though you may want to blame it on the fact that it claims it is being weird, there is a big difference between being so and being random instead. It's not that being weird is necessarily a problem of the film either, but rather it doesn't seem to know how to do so. The film goes all over the place, not knowing what it wants to be, or what it wants to say most of the time. Samuel L. Jackson is by far the best part of this seemingly tv-made film, and makes the best of his poorly written lines/dialogue. In the end, Unicorn Store does make you believe in the magic it was trying to create. Only if it had a better way of getting to the message it was trying to convey, it just may prove to be a decent time. But instead, like the glitter it often uses, it just feels messy. My Rating: 4.75/10

I'm probably not the target market for this film, maybe it resonates better with younger or female audiences. I did watch the whole thing so it wasn't horrible, I did want to see how it ended.

It's a story about a young woman trying to figure out life and her place in it and how to relate to her family and friends and humanity in general. She seems to gain some insight through her journey. There is a bit of magical realism done in a somewhat clever manner that adds to the allegorical feel.

I did other things while watching it and found it to be okay entertainment to pass the time.