Regardless of A24’s popularity, the manufacturing and distribution studio has had its fair proportion of stinkers. Some movies with distinctive premises and approaches that entice the maverick studio are finally half-baked of their execution. Sadly, Dying of a Unicorn is one such film.
Pairing Paul Rudd with Jenna Ortega looks as if the precise sort of cross-generational oddball alternative that may make for a powerful A24 characteristic. Rudd performs a widowed man and lawyer loyal to a rich household. He’s near being introduced on as a everlasting enterprise companion, because the patriarch is near loss of life’s door. The newfound wealth would set he and his daughter up for all times. Ortega performs… effectively, herself, primarily. Yet one more sarcastic, vaguely goth woman who is just too good for her personal good. After placing a unicorn en path to the rich household’s retreat, they uncover unicorn blood has wonderful healing properties. In fact, the household should instantly begin exploiting it.
The bones are in place for an off-kilter satire of the pharmaceutical trade, with the household’s fortune being instantly based mostly in drugs. The solid is humorous when they’re allowed to work with the admittedly witty dialogue and situations that dot this script. Richard E. Grant, Will Poulter, and Tea Leoni embrace their roles and get some nice moments. Anthony Carrigan shines because the exasperated household servant.
However the movie bears all of the hallmarks of being caught between a number of tones and instructions, and of a wrestle to reserve it all within the modifying bay. There are jarring moments of wierd continuity jumps the place it feels just like the film skips ahead a number of scenes, and the dialogue seems like it’s referencing issues the viewers hasn’t seen. An particularly blatant leap comes close to the top when it cuts from evening to mid-morning in a single shot and there’s no time hole implied.
The modifying points appear half and parcel with the movie’s lack of ability to resolve what sort of story it needs to be. Relatively than leaning into the comedy and satire, it additionally makes an attempt to be a horror film on the identical time. There are over-the-top moments of gore and different makes an attempt at leap scares and the like. In a movie that established the proper tone, these probably could be humorous moments. As a substitute, the scenes don’t really feel assured of their goals.
The satire and metaphors are additionally lackluster and shallow. Maybe afraid of claiming one thing too potent, Dying of a Unicorn hovers round extra biting commentary and delivers a limp prod fairly than a scathing takedown of for-profit drugs. As a substitute, the movie spends an excessive amount of screentime having Ortega analysis medieval lore on unicorns as a part of a typical “horror analysis” plot fairly than exploring its central concepts.
Disappointingly, Rudd and Ortega themselves are the weakest a part of the solid. Rudd is left to play the blandly affable man that he’s first rate at, however as soon as once more, the script stops there. The makes an attempt to create drama based mostly on a weakened father-daughter relationship and shared wrestle to cope with the lack of a spouse/mother are woefully underbaked. Likewise, Ortega by no means rises above her regular shtick, as beforehand talked about.
Dying of a Unicorn is destined for relegation into the surprisingly massive backlog of forgotten A24 movies. It squanders its enjoyable premise and shambles in 4 completely different instructions. If something, it serves as a very good lesson on why having a transparent and robust hand within the writing and modifying could make or break a chunk of narrative artwork.
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