Death of a Unicorn (2025) - Review

"Now give me the horn."

The arrival of Elliot (Paul Rudd) and his estranged daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) at the Leopold Family Retreat is delayed when their car strikes a unicorn. Reluctant to admit to injuring and then killing a supposedly mythological being, Elliot tries to keep the evidence hidden.

But the unicorn is not dead. It awakens, is discovered, and... well, let's just say things go from bad, to very bad, to nightmarish... 

When asked, via text, of what I thought of Death of a Unicorn, I responded, "Pretty good, but not great." There was a lot of stuff about it that I liked, but there were also crucial things that I just could not connect with.

As far as the stuff I liked goes... I thought the casting of every member of the Leopold family was spot on. Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni, and Will Poulter play the most loveably detestable of human beings. Watching them walk over, talk over, and gaslight everyone around them was equal parts hilarious and infuriating. I loved hating them.

Jenna Ortega is tasked with holding and nurturing the emotional heart of the film, as well serving as both a greek chorus for the audience and a frustrated Cassandra within the film itself, and also does an excellent job.

Writer/director Alex Scharfman also did his homework regarding unicorn mythology and drew inspiration from The Unicorn Tapestries. I also give a nod of thanks for this, as a visit to The Cloisters in New York City has now been added to my bucket list.

That was the good, now, unfortunately, I must turn my critical eye to Paul Rudd's Elliot, which is where I failed to connect with the film. I don't know if it was the writing, or the performance, or, most likely, both, but I just did not like or root for Elliot at any point during his supposed redemption arc. What is missing are glimpses or hints of any self-awareness or self-loathing behind Elliot's smarmy and sycophantic behavior and machinations.

I did not see, much less believe, Elliot's supposed slow and painful journey to reconciliation with Ridley. If I had, then I would be singing praises for Death of a Unicorn. Instead, the most I can about it is that it was, "Pretty good, but not great." So it goes.