As a huge Todd Solondz fan, I was intrigued by the fact that Selma Blair would be returning for what I heard was intended to be a continuation for her character from Storytelling, one of Solondz's masterworks. It is unclear, however, whether or not that is meant to be the intention here. Regardless, it doesn't matter much.
Dark Horse features much of Solondz's signatures. The primary element being an assault of drawn out sequences of psychological discomfort, almost always amidst awkward exchanges between two characters who usually don't fully understand each other. There's that, and there's extra-happy pop songs juxtaposed against damned scenarios, and all the bright colors. He still lives and breathes heavy satire very organically.
There is much to enjoy about Dark Horse, but I suppose the primary problem is that none of it is enough to stick with you. It all kind of feels like Solondz LITE and gives us almost zero memorable scenes, unlike his first 4 films, all of which I would call masterpieces, and which are plumb full of images, dialogue, and situations that you will never forget. So, I don't think I'd ever return to this, where as with Welcome To The Dollhouse, Happiness, Storytelling, and Palindromes, I could watch them again and again endlessly. My other primary qualm was that, although lead actor Jordan Gelber did a fantastic job with his part, it's simply too much screen time for a character of that sort. His character is effective, but not the most entertaining. I feel this film would have fared much better as a feature that focuses on multiple characters, or a full ensemble like Happiness - I feel this works best for Solondz's filmmaking style and mood.
That aside, Dark Horse is a solid dark comedy. Though none of it's sharp turns hit very hard, the film is solidly entertaining throughout and does sport it's fair share of twisted philosophy and dialect which will make you simultaneously chuckle but also consider it's profundity. From what I recall, it is better than Solondz's latest, Wiener-Dog, but it doesn't even come close to his first 4 films. It was really nice to see Selma Blair in this role, though - I am quite fond of her. Now, the only Solondz movie I've yet to see is Life During Wartime!
Dark Horse features much of Solondz's signatures. The primary element being an assault of drawn out sequences of psychological discomfort, almost always amidst awkward exchanges between two characters who usually don't fully understand each other. There's that, and there's extra-happy pop songs juxtaposed against damned scenarios, and all the bright colors. He still lives and breathes heavy satire very organically.
There is much to enjoy about Dark Horse, but I suppose the primary problem is that none of it is enough to stick with you. It all kind of feels like Solondz LITE and gives us almost zero memorable scenes, unlike his first 4 films, all of which I would call masterpieces, and which are plumb full of images, dialogue, and situations that you will never forget. So, I don't think I'd ever return to this, where as with Welcome To The Dollhouse, Happiness, Storytelling, and Palindromes, I could watch them again and again endlessly. My other primary qualm was that, although lead actor Jordan Gelber did a fantastic job with his part, it's simply too much screen time for a character of that sort. His character is effective, but not the most entertaining. I feel this film would have fared much better as a feature that focuses on multiple characters, or a full ensemble like Happiness - I feel this works best for Solondz's filmmaking style and mood.
That aside, Dark Horse is a solid dark comedy. Though none of it's sharp turns hit very hard, the film is solidly entertaining throughout and does sport it's fair share of twisted philosophy and dialect which will make you simultaneously chuckle but also consider it's profundity. From what I recall, it is better than Solondz's latest, Wiener-Dog, but it doesn't even come close to his first 4 films. It was really nice to see Selma Blair in this role, though - I am quite fond of her. Now, the only Solondz movie I've yet to see is Life During Wartime!