Unicorn Store

This is a new movie on Netflix starring Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson.

In the beginning of the film, Kit, played by Larson, is creating an art piece in a museum for an art show. The judges of the art show give her a less than desirable score, and she resigns herself to give up her art forever.

At that point, Kit quits college and returns to her parents’ house. While she was away at school, her parents, played by Joan Cusack and Bradley Whitford, have turned Kit’s bedroom into a home gym.

In a moment of depression, Kit spends the entire day on the couch. While viewing hours of television, she sees a commercial for a temp agency that is looking for workers. Kit’s parents run a camp for children, which is all about therapy, sharing emotions, camping, clean living, clean eating, all of which Kit has no interest in.

Kit interviews at the temp agency and gets placed in a company as the copier girl, running countless copies of things for employees of the company. She quickly gets the attention of the vice-president of the company, who wastes no time in sexually harassing her.

While working at the unnamed company, Kit receives an invitation to go to “The Store.” Their tag line: “We sell what you need.” After receiving several invitations to “The Store”, she decides to go see what it’s all about.

Once at the store she meets Samuel L. Jackson, who plays “The Salesman.” He is selling what she needs: her very own unicorn.

As a child, Kit was into rainbows and unicorns; in fact, she had a unicorn as an imaginary friend. Now, with the help of The Salesman, owning a unicorn might become a reality for her.

Throughout the film, The Salesman has Kit perform several tasks, in an effort to show she is worthy of receiving a unicorn to care for. But is she ready? How can The Salesman make it happen?

The film is bizarre in every sense of the word. Listening to The Salesman talk to Kit, it appeared as if it was a Faustian farce, that The Salesman was really in fact the devil, and that he would give her everything her heart desires, ie a unicorn, if she signed his contract.

But, I was wrong. The movie wasn’t like that at all. In fact, it should have been. It would have made more sense if it had been. After all, The Salesman can’t get Kit a unicorn. They don’t exist. Or, can he?

As someone who loves unicorns, and considers the unicorn as her spirit animal, the movie was incredibly disappointing. My opinion: don’t waste your time.

Now streaming on Netflix, 2 stars.