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Jordan Gelber, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Justin Bartha, Donna Murphy ... see more see more... , Christopher Walken , Aasif Mandvi , Zachary Booth , Tyler Maynard , Mary Joy , Peter McRobbie , Lee Wilkof , Melisa Young , Di Quon

Thirty-something guy with arrested development falls for thirty-something girl with arrested development, but moving out of his junior high school bedroom proves too much. Tragedy ensues. Writer and d... read more read more...irector Todd Solondz examines the irretrievability of youth and the mercilessness of time passing in Dark Horse, a melancholy and idiosyncratic comedy starring Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Jordan Gelber, Donna Murphy, Christopher Walken, Zachary Booth and Aasif Mandvi. -- (C) Official Site

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42% liked it

2,783 ratings

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73% liked it

70 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Todd Solondz

Release Date: June 8, 2012

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DVD Release Date: November 13, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (144)

  • paulsandberg
    April 9, 2013
    paulsandberg
    From the nice opening sequence where the camera pans slowly from people goofily dancing at a wedding (and why is it that the scene is so depressing???), to the main character Abe, sitting at a table next to a stunningly depressed looking woman, you'd think that this film has seri... read moreous potential. As the scene follows, Abe tells the woman that he, on principal, doesn't dance (which is an offhand, and very protective way of asking her if she wants to... for if she says she likes to dance then he can come off as a hero and, setting aside his principals, ask her. If she doesn't respond then no harm no foul).

    This is the setting for a film about an eternal adolescent, Abe, well played by Jordan Gelber, who is stuck in his mid thirties life (one that he has chosen, by the way), where he lives at home and works (sorta) for his father. Said father, portrayed by Christopher Walken, is dismissive of his underachieving son, though he lets him live at home and provides him with every opportunity to help in the family business. But sonny boy just can't seem to get it together, and it's never his fault. You can perhaps blame the overprotective mother (so naturally played by Mia Farrow), but just once you'd like to see this type of character take a hold of his life and actually do something! It is this unsympathetic character that really holds the film back, and I suppose why so many critics have raved about the film, exhorting its realism, while the main viewing public has given it thumbs down (myself included).

    There is pathos galore on display here, from not only Abe, but Miranda, the girl he decides to woo. Here is a woman clinically depressed, her existential viewpoint on life dripping defeat. At one point she asks Abe if he's real, as if she can't truly believe that anyone would be smitten by her. That she agrees when Abe impulsively asks for her hand is truly sad - and yet for some reason comes off on the screen as absurd.

    The film holds many a surreal moment, and perhaps the viewer will begin to wonder what is real and what is not - or even if the entire enterprise is nothing more than a dream. This holds your interest for a time, but towards the end I found myself no longer caring, as I found the characters of both Abe and Miranda to be repulsive - two souls wallowing in their own self pity and, particularly in the case of Abe, blaming everyone but himself for his station in life. It seems that part of writer/director Todd Solondz's message is that we are victims of an uncaring world - one full of rules that make it hard for the everyman to cope; but I think that Solondz is playing too pat a hand, with too many clichés and typical whining to really show us anything revealing and unique, try as he might. The film is dark, certainly, but a "comedy" - hardly, as there is absolutely nothing funny to laugh about on the screen, dark or otherwise.

    With multiple endings (if you want to see it that way), the film attempts to allow you to interpret and diagnose for yourself what it all means, and if any of it matters. Sadly for me, I had stopped caring about the characters so any potential depth of meaning held no impact.
  • romy861
    November 4, 2012
    romy861
    I think I need to watch this one again when I am not so tired. I really lost the plot (literally) by the end.
  • SirPant
    October 12, 2012
    SirPant
    The antidote to all those slacker done good/feel good success films. It's anti Hollywood, gives unnecessary enthusiasm the finger and as much as I like Judd Apatow films (the older ones anyway), it does feel like it gives them a fair right-hook to the jaw which they pretty much h... read moread coming. Devilishly dark and melancholy, I for one welcome the return of Todd Solondz, one of cinema's saviours!
  • hobster1
    July 27, 2012
    hobster1
    It's not easy to get on Todd Solondz's wavelength, but once you do it's a unique ride. The story goes from optimistic to very grim. He draws humor from serious situations. There's a feeling of schadenfreude in watching their pathetic lives implode. Two-thirds of the narrative is ... read morereally quite engaging. But Solondz doesn't know how to end his tale effectively. It loses momentum and the ending mixes fantasy with reality in a confusing climax. Before we arrive at the inevitable conclusion, however, we're treated to Abe's fantasies. These aren't delusions of grandeur where a nebbish becomes a hero. They're practical displays of the truth that assert the harsh reality of his existence. Frequent star of these daydreams is his co-worker Marie. Hollywood take note of actress Donna Murphy who memorably gives life to the role. She nearly steals every scene she's in. Mousy secretary by day, but seductive cougar by night. She extracts laughs simply by the slinky way she walks with a glass of wine in her artfully decorated home. If everyone had been this well written, Dark Horse could have been something revelatory. Instead it's merely satisfying.

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  • fb720603734
    August 3, 2012
    fb720603734
    DARK HORSE is my favorite Todd Solondz film since HAPPINESS. Although it falls well within his tried and true bag of tricks he's always employed - - dark, morose characters, long pauses, and razor-sharp hate-filled speeches cloaked in despair, this one has something new. JORDAN... read more GELBER is Abe, our title character, and much like Ingatius J. Reilly from my favorite novel, A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, Abe is a two-time loser wrapped in unstoppable swatches of SWAGGER. Yep, here's a guy who can't seem to catch a break, but her sure knows how to sell zeal and confidence when it's least expected or warranted.

    How else can one even begin to fathom Abe's allure over Selma Blair's hopelessly unhappy Miranda. When we first meet them, they're seated next to each other at a wedding, as couples dance around them. It's a classic Solondz opening scene. Abe cluelessly hits on Miranda, who shows absolutely no interest in Abe. Somewhere deep down inside, he knows he's not a catch, but he refuses to let it stop him. I kinda like that about him, even though he's pretty awful most of the time.

    Gelber's lightness with such heavy material is what sets this film apart from so many of Solondz's work of recent years. His survival mechanisms kick in, and it made me root for the douchebag just a little bit. Not really getting the hint that Miranda has zero interest in him, he shows up for their semi-planned, somewhat-confirmed date and slyly wins her over. Blair is masterful here in a role that plays as a second cousin to her downtrodden character, Vi, from STORYTELLING. Her heavy eyelids and economy of movement and expression perfectly convey a woman who doesn't really know what she needs until it's right in front of her. The way she slowly succumbs to Abe's "charms" is what makes DARK HORSE something truly subversive and deceptively lovely.

    Adding greatly to the proceedings are Donna Murphy, as Abe's co-worker and savior at his father's firm. Christopher Walkin is cast way against type as a "normal" guy with Clint Eastwood-level pants pulled up high, a bad toupee, and a cluelessness about what makes his son tick. Mia Farrow, coming out of semi-retirement here to play Abe's extremely patient and loving mom, provides just the right kind touch a movie as gloomy as this needs.

    Many will find the last act to be confusing, even obtuse. They'll wonder how much of what happens is in Abe's head and how much is reality. It reminded me a bit of the Coen Brothers' A SIMPLE MAN in that regard. It made me think about how we see and treat the invisibles in our world and what, if any, impact they have on our lives. Not everyone's cup of poison, but DARK HORSE hit me where I lived.
  • fb1281229360
    August 13, 2012
    fb1281229360
    Decent but not so much of a satisfying film. Its a pretty dark/serious indie drama/comedy about a young man falling for an emo woman and coming to terms with his life and relationships. What stood out for me the most was the original humor that odd Solondz likes to put in there ... read morewas some funny and charming moments there. But the film's story lacked resolution amog its conflict and moral standards, I guess I was dissapointed because of how depressingly resolved it was. However Its a skilled film with potential for a good audience, but its just wasn't for me.
  • fb20312798
    November 14, 2012
    fb20312798
    Its the most straightforward comedy that Solondz has made (at least for the first 3/4 of the film), and the early stuff is great. Jordan Gelber's performance as a near 40 man child is perfect, he's emotionally undeveloped while pretending to be a worldly man . . . I've met these ... read morepeople and they are this insufferable. The film's problems are in the finale that's filled with far too much literal explanation and has more false endings than 'The Return of the King'. I'm still willing to accept it in the Solondz filmography because its full of his trademark melancholic whimsy
  • fb100000185301014
    February 7, 2013
    fb100000185301014
    Unlike most of the Solondz films, this one seemed very cheerful and quirkily hilarious. Selma Blair was amazing, it's her second time working with Solondz and her character is totally different now. Dark Horse is anti-climatic, cynical, indecisive. I love the ensemble and the tit... read morele, it's just a really dark comedy that will not make you forget, ever.
  • Lemure
    November 14, 2012
    Lemure
    Not as good as some of his early work, but still a solid Todd Solondz film.
  • fb67801456
    January 13, 2013
    fb67801456
    The characters are slightly too one dimensional, but Dark Horse catches you off guard and grows stronger as it goes along. The most ambitious film of Todd's career and his best in years.

View All Dark Horse Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ann Hornaday
August 17, 2012
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

It would be unfair and patronizing to say that Solondz needs to grow up, but "Dark Horse" suggests that it's time for the bard of bourgeois hypocrisy to consider moving on. Full Review

Mark Feeney
August 9, 2012
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe

Solondz has made a career out of specializing in highly aberrant views of middle-class life. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
August 9, 2012
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

That Gelber can make Abe appealing in any way is a triumph. That Solondz can orchestrate such a feat is an even bigger one. Full Review

Rene Rodriguez
August 9, 2012
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

Solondz will never be much for happy endings, but the film is strangely optimistic and at times borders ever-so-slightly on the whimsical. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
July 26, 2012
Stephanie Zacharek, Los Angeles Times

For once, Solondz seems less interested in scoring points off his characters than in creeping into their shy, sad interior worlds. Full Review

Colin Covert
July 26, 2012
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Todd Solondz, the dean of depressive comedy, is back with another funny, shocking, emotionally probing original. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
July 19, 2012
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle

[Solondz] pulls one too many narrative stunts, with one too many dream sequences, calling into question the reality of everything that's happened - including that soap-operatic finale. Full Review

Tirdad Derakhshani
July 12, 2012
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer

[A] wonderfully realized and surprisingly understated dark satire... Full Review

Kate Taylor
June 29, 2012
Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail

You have to admire the filmmaker for what he has achieved thus far in Dark Horse, and mourn Abe's premature departure from the action. Full Review

Peter Howell
June 28, 2012
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

As awful as Abe is, you can't help rooting for him as he struggles to get his life in order, all while his vivid fantasy world seems to be closing in on him. Full Review

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    • Abe: You can program the TiVo yourself!
    • Miranda: Are you for real?
    • Abe: Absolutely. A thousand percent.
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Dark Horse Trivia

  • Stanley Ipkiss has a phenomenal dog that saves the day in this CGI-groundbreaking 1994 film, which has a script written with Jim Carrey in mind - based on a Dark Horse Comics story.  Answer »
  • At the 1982 Academy Awards ceremony, which of the following star-studded films won the "Best Picture" award?  Answer »
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