Death of a Unicorn

Review by Mark Woodring

A24 is back with another unique film. Not a dark, moody, horror/thriller or experimental drama, but a dark comedy/horror.

Death of a Unicorn.

With current scream-queen Jenna Ortega this makes sense…

But Paul Rudd?

Let’s go.

**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan talk about the movie more. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

Death of a Unicorn - Review
Death of a Unicorn (A24)

 

104 Minutes, Rated R
Written and Directed by Alex Scharfman

 

Synopsis:

A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.

 

I love A24, so something that looks this wacky should be a no-brainer.

For the most part, it is.

As this somewhat estranged father-daughter pair travel to the home of an eccentric family who run a pharmaceutical company (which happens to be located in the middle of a wildlife preserve), they encounter a creature that can only be described as the titular unicorn.

Unfortunately, the “encounter” is between the unicorn and their rental car’s hood.

Death, although the means of that death winds up being more than a little… disturbing, to say the least.

Regardless, what follows is one part slapstick comedy, one part anti-capitalist screed, one part classist deconstruction, all wrapped up in family drama: not just Rudd and Ortega’s but also their hosts, who are both remarkably comfortable in their dysfunction and highly unaware of it, lol.

Discoveries of what the unicorn might unleash upon the world from both a medical and mythological point of view drive the story, such as it is, forward, though more than one element of the film feels a bit undercooked.

The relationship between Rudd and Ortega’s characters? Stuff is missing.

How Rudd’s character gets into the position he is in with his employer? Ill defined.

What, exactly, is the grander picture of the wildlife preserve in which they find themselves? Unnecessary, but it would have been nice for some of this kind of world-building to take place.

Overall, though, the earnest nature of both Rudd and Ortega’s performances, along with a welcome wacky turn from the underappreciated Tea Leoni and the always solid presence of Richard E. Grant make the film mostly work as an absurdist romp.

Even Will Poulter doesn’t disappoint as the rich kid with ambitions of quick success, the kind of which only ever fall into the laps of the uber-rich (there’s that classist facet of the film).

Death of a Unicorn is a good, but not great, entry from A24. It might have benefitted from either being a straight wacky comedy or going someplace a bit darker more consistently. As it is, it’s simply an okay film with a lot of potential.

Certainly not A24’s best, but far from their worst (I’m looking at you, Beau is Afraid).

Definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of this cast and don’t mind some casual and disturbing violence on and by fantastic creatures.

Death of a Unicorn impacts theaters this Friday, March 28, and stars Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Anthony Carrigan, Richard E Grant, Tea Leoni, and Will Poulter.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

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