Netflix has released a trailer and poster for Brie Larson's feature directorial debut, Unicorn Store. The Oscar-winner also stars in the film as Kit, a lonely twenty-something who's struggling (but trying) to embrace life as an adult when she meets a mysterious salesman (Samuel L. Jackson) who offers to fulfill her childhood wish of owning a, well, unicorn. Unicorn Store marks the third film collaboration for Larson and Jackson, following their appearances together in Kong: Skull Island and their respective turns as Carol Danvers and Nick Fury in this month's Captain Marvel.

Larson, drawing from a script by Samantha McIntyre (Married), actually shot Unicorn Store before she and Jackson teamed up for Captain Marvel, back in late 2016. The movie went on to make its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was officially acquired by Netflix near the start of this year. Now, with just a couple weeks to go before it begins streaming in April, the film's marketing has gotten fully up and running.

The Unicorn Store trailer is now available online, ahead of the film's premiere on Netflix on Friday, April 5. You can check it out in the space below, followed by the movie's official poster.


Unicorn Store earned mixed to positive reviews from the critics who saw it at TIFF 2017 and is currently at 68% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes after 19 reviews. In general, critics seem a bit divided on whether Larson's grounded filmmaking approach as director compliments or clashes with the movie's whimsical story and the magical realism at the heart of McIntyre's script. As one would expect, however, Larson and Jackson have been praised for their performances in the film, as have their talented costars like Bradley Whitford (Get Out), Karan Soni (Deadpool 1 & 2), Mamoudou Athie (Sorry for Your Loss), and Joan Cusack (A Series of Unfortunate Events). Larson and Jackson's screen chemistry was certainly important to Captain Marvel's success and, judging by the trailer, may serve to further elevate Unicorn Store into something memorable.

Beyond that, Netflix feels like the right place for Unicorn Store to pitch its tent. It's the sort of smaller film that might've gotten buried in theaters, but has a much better chance of reaching its target audience (and viewers in general) on the streaming service. Larson is clearly a Netflix fan herself and is already set to star in and possibly direct their fact-based drama Lady Business next. She's also committed to leading Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things adaptation for Netflix, so there's much more Larson-related goodness to come on the streamer after Unicorn Store arrives next month.

Unicorn Store (2019) release date: Apr 05, 2019