Dark Horse

Plot

Romance blooms between two thirty-somethings in arrested development: an avid toy collector and a woman who is the dark horse of her family.

Release Year: 2011

Rating: 7.2/10 (214 voted)

Director:
Todd Solondz

Stars: Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Zachary Booth

Storyline
Romance blooms between two thirty-somethings in arrested development: an avid toy collector and a woman who is the dark horse of her family.

Cast:

Justin Bartha
–

Richard

Selma Blair
–

Miranda (formerly 'Vi')

Zachary Booth
–

Justin

Mia Farrow
–

Phyllis

Jordan Gelber
–

Abe

Aasif Mandvi
–

Mahmoud

Tyler Maynard
–

Jiminy

Peter McRobbie
–

Arnie

Donna Murphy
–

Marie

Mary Joy
–

Lori

Di Quon
–

Waitress

Christopher Walken
–

Jackie

Lee Wilkof
–

Phil

Melisa Young
–

Wedding Singer

Stephanie Mas
–

Dancer

Release Date: 3 Jan 2011

Filming Locations: Clinton Diner, Maspeth, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

User Review

A 'sad comedy' quote, unquote the director. Or in other words, a tragedy decorated by comedy.

Rating: 8/10


Being someone who has seen most of Todd Solonz's movies, you know what
to expect from him. And you won't get disappointed. I had the
opportunity to watch the Middle East premiere of Dark Horse at the Abu
Dhabi Film Festival. It was an even bigger experience to have Todd
present during the screening, and give it an introduction as a 'sad
comedy, where it's up to you to laugh or not'. I don't know how big an
impact this particular statement had on my state of mind throughout the
movie, but I cant help mentioning the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed
it.

The story revolves around Abe, a thirty-something who works for his
father, pampered by an extremely loving mother, having a highly
accomplished doctor as his brother, and having a passion for collecting
toys. When he meets Miranda, a strangely damaged soul going through
some serious depression, he begins to think of getting out of his
desperation by having her as a partner. They eventually enter into a
seriously unstable relationship, where you even begin to question
whether there really existed any element of a relationship between
them.

The beauty of the movie lies in the director trying to portray the dark
side of the unstable mind, through imagery. One of the scenes which
really got to me is where Abe is supposedly in a toy store, demanding a
refund for his fiancé whom he wants to return, insisting that he has a
receipt which as the store staff points out has its date smudged out.
Even though this scene is a figment of his fantasy, it really goes to
show how Abe perceives things in life. A few other incidents involving
the unseen affection Marie (secretary to Abe's father) has towards Abe,
and Miranda's ex-boyfriend Mahmoud, all seemed to perfectly blend into
the movie.

Needless to say, Christopher Walken played a strong part as Abe's
father, so did all the other characters including Selma Blair as
Miranda. However a big part of the movie's success lies in the solid
performance by Jordan Gelber as Abe, who i felt was just apt for the
role and did total justice to it.

Final verdict: A story involving a dysfunctional (or perhaps semi-
functional) family, two out-of-the-normal characters and their
seemingly unstable relationship, brilliantly presented in the form of a
comedy – which makes you laugh and at the same time think about the
appropriateness of laughing. Entertaining, and thought-provoking.