Dark Horse (2011)

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

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz

Stars:

Jordan Gelber, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melisa Young	...	Wedding Singer
Jordan Gelber	...	Abe
Selma Blair	...	Miranda (formerly 'Vi')
Mia Farrow	...	Phyllis
Christopher Walken	...	Jackie
Zachary Booth	...	Justin
Donna Murphy	...	Marie
Tyler Maynard	...	Jiminy
Mary Joy	...	Lori
Peter McRobbie	...	Arnie
Justin Bartha	...	Richard
Aasif Mandvi	...	Mahmoud
Di Quon	...	Waitress
Lee Wilkof	...	Phil
Tara-Lee Pollin	...	Dancing Bride

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

quarrel | toy store | backgammon | car driving | driving a car | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 2012 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Czarny kon

Filming Locations:

Clinton Diner, Maspeth, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,551 (USA) (8 June 2012)

Gross:

$159,023 (USA) (17 August 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Double Hope Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Estelle Harris, Jason Alexander and Jerry Stiller were hired to do voice overs for the scenes where Mia Farrow and Christopher Walken sit stone-faced watching an unseen TV sitcom. Todd Solondz felt the "Costanzas" on the TV series "Seinfeld" were a sitcom version of the family he was depicting, but he couldn't afford to use audio clips from "Seinfeld."

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Connections

References Dr. No (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Mozart: Flute Concerto in G Major, K. 313: I. Allegro Maestoso"
Performed by Martin Pearlman & Boston Baroque
Soloist: Jacques Zoon
Courtesy of Telare International
Used by permission of Concord Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Funny peculiar rather than funny ha-ha!

Todd Solondz obviously doesn't like people. If he did he wouldn't give us characters as thoroughly unlikable as Abe and Miranda, make them the leads in his disquieting, fantasy 'rom-com' "Dark Horse" and then set them up for our ridicule, (the 'comedy' comes from how much we laugh at these characters rather than with them). Abe is fat, unattractive and obnoxious with it and Jordan Gelber plays him superbly. Miranda is a would-be beauty who has let herself go; let herself go to the extent that she is prepared to marry Abe, a man she doesn't even like let alone love. Selma Blair plays her as a one-dimensional loser making her equally difficult to like. Abe lives at home with his parents, (brilliant performances from Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow), and works for his dad, though to be honest he doesn't do much work.

This is typical Solondz; a miserablist, myopic vision of humanity but without the brilliance that distinguished earlier pictures like "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and "Happiness". If I describe this as a 'pathetic' picture I don't mean that it's bad. It's very well written, directed and acted, (Donna Murphy is terrific as the secretary who fuels Abe's fantasies), but it's full of people you would cross town, never mind the street, to avoid and whatever handicaps you might have yourself it makes you glad you're not like anyone up there on the screen.