Death of a Unicorn
Death of a Unicorn
Starring Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Tea Leoni
Directed by Alex Scharfman
After the death of his wife due to illness, Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) promised her he would take care of their daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) by any means necessary, and to that end he's driving the two to the compound of the Leopold family where he'll meet with the family of the boss he works for in hopes of getting partner after the patriarch passes from the final stages of cancer. Ridley doesn't want to go, and is still mourning the death of her mother, and while the two argue on the road Elliot hits a small unicorn. After touching its horn, Ridley is transported to another plane of existence before Elliot seemingly puts it out of its misery.
They head to the compound with the dead unicorn in the backseat where Ridley meets the Leopold family - father Odell (Richard E. Grant) who's dying of cancer, his wife Belinda (Tea Leoni), and their spoiled son Shepard (Will Poulter). Ridley and Elliot soon discover that the blood they came into contact with from the unicorn has healed their ailments, and when the not-so-dead unicorn comes to life, the Leopolds kill it again and use its blood to cure Odell's cancer. Seeing this as an opportunity to become even richer, they harvest the unicorn for its blood in hopes of selling its magical capabilities, but Ridley does some research and learns its not alone - there's two others out to find it, and will stop at nothing - and kill anything - standing in their way.
"Death of a Unicorn" works on several levels, and while not technically a perfect film, its heights far outweigh its weaknesses and delivers something wholly original and darkly humorous, skewering the struggle of the class system while also giving deep thoughts into the aspects of how far one will go to cure diseases and the consequences of such actions. Enveloped in a story that seems farfetched, the highly capable cast, the one-set setting and (mostly) decent effects make it feel very confined and realistic despite its outlandish premise.
This throwback to classic creature features of the 70s and 80s takes place on a palatial compound set far in the woods, miles away from civilization, which adds to the suspense of the movie: you can't just run next door and call for help, you're on your own. It makes the unicorn attack more deadly and dangerous, and sets an odd comparison as we're grown to believe unicorns are friendly, helpful creatures - but here, they skewer victims with their "girthy horns," stomp heads into jelly, and disembowel with ease. The gore and violence is hilarious and oftentimes works, but even when it comes off as too-CGI, it's still enjoyable (one particular kill occurs when a guy's head gets stomped, and the unicorn wipes its hoof on the ground). Although a comedy, there's some truly scary moments thrown in that keeps your attention.
First and foremost, however, this is a comedy, and it delivers on every end. Casting comedic geniuses Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Tea Leoni, Will Poulter and Anthony Carrigan was a stroke of genius, and including the legendary Richard E. Grant is the bacon bits to the comedic salad that is "Death of a Unicorn." Rudd surprisingly is the straight man in this film, the one who holds the narrative together and doesn't go into his typical blend of comedy, but still gets some bangers out. Jenna Ortega also leans more serious, as she's the one who does the research and finds that the unicorns are out for blood and no one believes her (or they do, but they care more about money than life), and the two have great chemistry as father and daughter, which is a testament to Ortega's talent how she can play such versatile roles with ease. The one real weakness of the film (other than some shoddy CGI here and there) is their grief with the death of Ridley's mother, which exists more as a plot point than any emotional resonance, but thankfully its overshadowed by everything else going on.
Richard E. Grant and Tea Leoni play the patriarchs of the family with fantastic comedic timing (something Leoni is best known for) while also showing how the 1% view life. Grant's Odell is given a second chance at life after his cancer is cured by the unicorn blood, but instead of seeing it as a new opportunity to do better, he immediately sets out to profit from the blood as ruthlessly as possible, but does so with comedic timing that surprisingly doesn't make him a reprehensible character. Leoni's Belinda is a bit underwritten in her motives, as it seems she just wants Odell to die so she can gain his income, but other moments she really seems to care and love him, but again she gives some great one-liners and moments that shed light on their desire for wealth (when the butler mentions he has kids, she replies "you have children?" like she never knew that - because she didn't).
Yet the standouts are Will Poulter and Anthony Carrigan, who play two ends of the wealth spectrum. Poulter's Shepard was born with a golden spoon, and acts like the world owes him everything. He's the entitled spoiled brat you come to know in films like this, but again does so with such earnest vigor it's hard to really hate him. Anthony Carrigan plays their longsuffering butler Griff who can speak volumes with just a look, and offer his own brand of comedy (when they're barricading the house, he's lugging a grandfather clock as the others are arguing and he says this isn't a good use of their time, which had me howling).
The film relies heavily on the theme of capitalism and wealth, as the Leopolds use the unicorn blood for their own personal gain, while veining interest in helping the poor, to which Ridley sees right through, even pointing out to her father that this blood would've never gotten to their mother if they were in charge of it. You see their disdain and displeasure of the poor, and it's not even subtle, but hilariously accurate in its portrayal. There's also the theme of familial healing as Elliot and Ridley deal with their wife/mother's death and how it's affecting the story, with a rift between the two growing larger until Ridley learns the real reason why Elliot is doing what he does. This sets for a unique parallel between them and the Leopolds and how Elliot would go to great lengths to protect Ridley while the Leopold family would almost sacrifice one another for more wealth.
While telling a humorous story with fantastical beings and bloody violence, "Death of a Unicorn" sheds light on the growing disparaging divide between the rich and the poor, delivered with perfect comedic timing by a fantastic comedic ensemble.
The Score: A+
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