Unicorn Store (2019)

Directed by Brie Larson

Written by Samantha McIntyre

Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack and Bradley Whitford

This film originally premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and didn't reach the public eye until it hit Netflix in early 2019, and I think there is a reason for that. For a film to open at TIFF and then skip theaters and go to Netflix isn't necessarily a bad thing, with Netflix producing many good movies now-- but Brie Larson's directorial debut unfortunately is not one of those quality Netflix products. 

Unicorn Store is about a woman named Kit (Brie Larson) who is a kid at heart. After Kit is dismissed from art school she moves back in with her parents (played by Bradley Whitford and Joan Cusack), where she decides to join a temp agency and work at an office job. At this job she is tasked with pitching a campaign for a new vacuum cleaner, when she receives a mysterious invitation to "The Store" where she meets the salesman (Samuel L. Jackson). He tells her that she can make her childhood dreams come true and be the proud new owner of a unicorn, if she follows a few demands first. 

I wanted to like this movie so badly, considering how much of a Brie Larson fan I am. After her monster of a great performance in Room and other great movies like Short Term 12 and Trainwreck, I had high hopes for her starring role in this as well as first time directing. This movie wants to be a quirky, weird coming-of-age story but it doesn't achieve that. Most of the time it's really corny and just a little awkward, frankly. Half the time I was confused wether this was supposed to be a kids movie, because of how much it really focused on glitter and unicorns. 

The characters don't have much depth either. Kit is a young women who doesn't want to grow up, and is obsessed with glitter and wacky outfits and getting a unicorn. She's not your average character from a coming of age movie who just does not want to grow up, she's just immature and we never really get to know where that personality came from. However, that isn't a negative testament to Larson's acting performance in the film. Kit is a young-spirited, optimistic women and that is definitely portrayed throughout the movie. Larson gets a chance to show her comedic skills off a bit with her acting in this movie. The supporting performances were just okay. Seeing Sam Jackson in a pink suit, afro with strings of glitter, and selling unicorns was a bit out of character for him. A little too tacky for me, to be honest. But, you can tell how much fun he and Larson had making this, so that makes it better. Cusack and Whitford do well as Kit's parents too. 

Unicorn Store isn't an all bad movie. It has some funny moments, mostly from Brie Larson. It has some fun, aesthetically pleasing outfits and sets. The sub-plot of not wanting to grow up, and everyone having a little magic in them, is definitely a unique one. Just the delivery of it all is a little sub-par for me. 

4/10

Instant Family (2018)

Directed by Sean Anders 

Written by Sean Anders and John Morris 

Starring Mark Wahlberg. Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner and Octavia Spencer 

This movie has a very heartwarming story that is honestly pretty original. You see so many comedies about parents who are struggling to raise a kid or multiple kids. They're "in over their heads," the kids are terror raisers, but in the end they become this big happy family with no issues. While this movie may follow a similar path to the cliched 'raising kids comedy', it has much more of an original story.

Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife Ellie (Rose Byrne) are seeking something to fill a void in their marriage. They visit a foster care center, and begin to take the steps to fostering a child and maybe eventually even adopting one. The couple finds themselves at an adoption fair where they have a chance to meet prospective children to enter their lives. The two notice a group of teenagers and are hesitant at first about taking in such an older child, until they meet Lizzie (Isabela Moner). They express interest of adopting Lizzie, a 15 year old girl who's mother is currently in prison after setting their house on fire with her lit crack pipe. There's one catch, Lizzie comes with two much younger siblings; Juan and Lita. Pete and Ellie decide to take on the challenge of being foster parents to all three children, and prove to themselves and everyone else that they can do it.

The movie is refreshingly honest about the hard truth about children in the foster care system. Children in the system may have been abused or struggling to cope with losing a parent or having a parent incarcerated. The movie does make light of these tough situations and brings some appropriate comic relief to them as well.

While the movie has two big stars in the lead roles (Byrne and Wahlberg), the shining performance comes from Isabela Moner. Lizzie has a very volatile personality. She is a teenager going through normal teenager problems plus being in foster care and having an addict mother in prison. Moner develops all these struggles into her character very well. Her character actually has a lot of depth-- while one second she may be slamming her door in Ellie's face the next second she is extremely vulnerable and sobbing. Tig Notaro and Octavia Spencer had a lot of funny moments as the two social workers. There was also one scene in the end with Joan Cusack, who makes any thing she appears in at least remotely better.

7/10

Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Directed by Stephen Chbosky

Written by Stephen Chbosky (screenplay and novel)

Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller and Paul Rudd

          Based on the critically acclaimed novel written by Stephen Chbosky, comes another film revolving around high school students- although, this time it isn't awful. Perks of Being a Wallflower centers around a group of teenagers who consider themselves "outsiders" and embrace their non-conformist status. This film will have you reminiscing on your social status from high school and convincing yourself that you were also an outsider like Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller- because they make not following the status quo look desirable. Anyone who read the book will love the movie adaptation, considering the books author also wrote the screenplay. 

     Set in the 1990's, the story begins with the quiet and reserved, Charlie (Logan Lerman) entering his freshman year of high school. Charlie enters high school feeling alienated and with his head down, with that scary question we all probably faced at one point in our adolescence: what table do I sit at during lunch? He is quickly embraced by two sympathetic seniors; the highly sarcastic and lovable Patrick (Ezra Miller) and the mysteriously beautiful, Sam (Emma Watson). Patrick and Sam (who are half siblings much to Charlie's surprise) take pity on the shy, dorky freshman and begin to take him under their wings as they attend football games and parties. Eventually we see Charlie fall into their inner circle, and even starts dating the punk buddhist, Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman)- despite his enormous crush on Sam, who has a boyfriend. While Charlie finds himself more adapted into this friend group, we still see remittence of something darker lurking in the back of Charlie's mind. He has a lot of ghosts from his past, and when things start to look poorly with his new friends, he struggles to hold on to his composure. 

    This movie serves as a sort of "coming-out" for Emma Watson as she tries to distance herself from Hermione Granger- and move on to other roles. Her portrayal of Sam shows her true potential as an actress and was incredible to watch. Watson is given more range with this character, and occasionally upstages Logan Lerman with her performance. Lerman plays the troubled teenager who is stricken with love and blinded by the beauty of Sam. It only makes sense that Watson would upstage Lerman, because Charlie is caught in the gravitational pull of Sam's star like qualities. Ezra Miller plays a very likable, very gay character and does an impressive job. Like many teenage movies, Perks of Being a Wallflower is riddled with familiar names playing the adults in the movie. The most notable being Paul Rudd, as Charlie's english teacher. We also see supporting roles from, Dylan McDermott and Joan Cusack. 

     The cinematic translation of this film from the novel- should leave fans of the book very satisfied. Even those who didn't read the book will fall in love with this movie. Its emotional, heartwarming, and even has a sprinkling of humor within its sometimes dark dialogue. A movie about teenagers that everyone needs to see. Current teenagers can relate, adults will feel nostalgia. 

I give Perks of Being a Wallflower a...

8/10