[Movie Review] Unicorn Store

"The most adult thing you can do is failing in what you really care about."

© Netflix, copied from Serienjunkies' page

When I decided to watch this movie I already felt like this would probably again be one of those movies that is made for a certain group only. I was right, also because I knew it would be a movie that really touched me.

Unicorn Store directed by Brie Larson (her first directing job) - who also acts as the main character - is the story of a young woman called Kit who loves a colorful and creative life. She sadly fails at art school and to feel like she's not a failure she takes on a job as a temp. At the same time she gets a mysterious note asking her to come to The Store, a place that will change her life and give her what she needs.

The movie is on the shorter side, the length of a tv movie basically. But because of its premise it's fitting. This isn't a story you need to drag out for two hours. This is a story about a young woman who needs to see what she wants and needs in life, who was told from the start that she should follow her dreams and that she could become anything she wanted but realized that unfortunately some things aren't what society had in mind when saying that (one tumblr post comes to mind that went something like this: society: "You can be anything you want!" society: "But not that.". Or basically any STEM vs. Art discussions) as well as limitations that are put on you when you don't conform to certain other expectations. As a Millennial like Brie and Kit I can very much relate to that even though I'm not really an artistic person myself.

The story of Unicorn Store highlights the pressure of society to conform to certain "norms". Be it to not dress in outrages colors as an adult or find a supposedly "productive" job. Kit rubs society the wrong way like many alternative and artistic people do and struggles with finding her place in the world because society expects us to stop being that after our teen years are over. Obviously there are ways to deal with that but some people feel like they have to push down completely who they are which is extremely unhealthy. That's also something that Kit does for a time and you can see how hard it is for her to be like she thinks people expect her to be as an adult.

Something that is also subtly talked about is the overwhelming amount of control men - and especially white men - have over artistic fields of various kinds. It's shown right at the beginning when we see Kit failing in art school when everyone else does some mostly pretentious black and white stuff to please the lecturer while she paints in all the colors she has with the passion and love for art you will often only find in children who are still allowed to be like that. It also shows her painting outside the picture, symbolizing that she doesn't want to be put into a "frame", she's breaking out of the confines she is given.

Also, that love story is adorable. The chemistry between Virgil and Kit is great and works really well. Though, because of the time, we only really see Virgil being supportive of Kit and not the other way around. But he does reap some profits for his personal life from them spending time together doing something relevant to the plot.

Another great thing about this movie is that I got to see Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson in a movie again after recently watching Captain Marvel. They have such great chemistry and I kind of want to see them in a buddy cop movie together. And Joan Cusack and Bradley Whitford as Kit's parents is such cool casting. They both have such unique voices, that alone makes for great comedic effect in my opinion. Also, Karan Soni (Dopinder from Deadpool!), 'nuff said. Though he is a bit the butt of the joke sometimes again which might not sit well with everyone. But I do think his character Kevin is very endearing.

Overall, this movie is a millennial commentary on societal expectations (mostly for women I'd say) covered in 90s nostalgia and looking like a Lisa Frank picture vomited all over it. It's not for everyone but those it is for will most likely enjoy its colorful quirkiness and relatability. I didn't pay enough attention to the way it was filmed but since it didn't take me out of the movie I guess it wasn't bad. Therefore I'd say it's actually a good first direction job by Brie Larson and I'm curious to see what else she will have in store for us when she sits in the director's chair again at some point.

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For my rating check my Letterboxd.

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Disclaimer: I wasn't paid in any way to talk about or watch this movie or anything else mentioned in my review. It's my opinion only.