In his feature-length debut, writer-director Alex Scharfman helms this horror comedy about Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his teenage daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), who accidently hit a unicorn on their way to Elliot’s boss’ wilderness retreat. (107 min.)
Glen: Lots of little kids love pastel unicorns and their rainbow-colored mane and tail, glittering flanks, and magical golden horns, but do not bring your adorable little cherubs to this film unless you want to scar them for life. These unicorns are bloodthirsty and capable of disemboweling anyone who gets in their way, so when Elliot decides to load the struck unicorn foal into the back of his SUV and continue to his weekend meeting with his billionaire boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant, gobbling up the scenery as usual), little does he know he’s bringing the wrath of the foal’s parents down upon the entire wilderness compound and everyone in it. It doesn’t take Odell, who’s near death, long to realize the foal has magical therapeutic properties, and soon his cancer is gone and he’s scheming on how to capitalize on his discovery. Well, hang onto your wheelchair, Odell, because hell hath no fury like a unicorn scorned.
Anna: Ridley realizes that from touching the foal’s horn, she’s somehow magically connected to the animal. She even has a psychedelic, otherworldly experience that she can’t quite explain to her skeptical dad. That isn’t the only communication issue between the father/daughter duo. They’ve suffered the loss of Ridley’s mom, and the two just don’t seem to connect over much these days. In fact, this whole trip is concocted so that Elliot can get the Leopold family to sign him as their proxy, and Ridley is there simply to show the Leopolds that Elliot is indeed a “family man.” I’m always excited to see Rudd on a cast list, and Ortega has been killing it in her young career. The Leopolds are smart casting as well. Grant commands the stage, Téa Leoni as the WASP-y wife Belinda is a perfect fit, and their insufferable nepo-baby son, Shepherd, is played by the very funny Will Poulter. However, Anthony Carrigan’s portrayal as house manager Griff truly steals the scene more than once. All in all, it’s a funny cast in this horror-comedy creation.
Glen: To stand up for Elliot, it’s true he’s a striver trying to secure his financial stake in Odell’s pharmaceutical empire, but his impetus is to ensure Ridley never wants for anything. She clearly thinks her dad’s a sellout and sees the Leopold clan for the ravenous capitalists that they are, but it’s sort of pathetically sweet watching Elliot struggle to connect and her reject him. He does turn out to be selfless in his actions. You’re right about poor, put-upon Griff. Carrigan’s timing and facial expressions are perfect, and when we learn Griff puts up with the Leopolds because he’s raising two daughters, it adds another layer to the family dynamics angle. People will do almost anything for their children, and apparently so will unicorns. Ridley, an art history major in college, uses her research skills to learn about unicorn mythology (See! Art history is good for something!) and figures out why mom and dad unicorn are so relentless. Greed is bad, family is good, and respect for nature is tantamount. Good lessons to learn.
Anna: One message the film has is that greed really gets you nowhere. How true that is. The actual world right now may not reflect that, but it’s a nice sentiment to have. This film has a surprising amount of gore, so proceed with caution. Somehow in the end it all feels satisfying, but it’s touch and go whether anyone will get out of this horrific scene alive!
New Times Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Apr 3-13, 2025.