Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Absolutely brilliant

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

I don't know if "Dark Horse" was the most appropriate title for this movie. The term to me implies an outside chance of a win. When the movie starts off, Abe seems like a lovable loser that was pampered and emotionally stunted by his parents. He's a 35 year old man-child that lives in his childhood bedroom, collects toys, and works at his fathers company with non-existent job responsibilities and labors under the delusion he's cooler and more important to everyone around him than he really is. Abe meets his equal in Miranda, his self defeated love interest at a wedding. Abe's ignorance and self obsessed desires doesn't let him see that Miranda has no interest in him as he pushes himself onto her. She only becomes interested when she recognizes he's a bigger loser than she is, and won't pose a threat to her already battered self esteem. She succumbs to her fate as a self loathing loser and accepts his proposal of marriage a week after they meet.In the beginning I was rooting/expecting for Abe to see he was his own worst enemy, and to reverse the course of his life. Unfortunately, the longer the film plays out the more I hated Abe and he losses his lovable loser status. He quickly slams into becoming an obnoxious, self indulgent, entitled loser, throwing tantrums and fits as he blames everyone around him for his faults and failures. His world starts to implode and crumble as it becomes apparent to him that he is the loser everyone see's him as. This sets up a whole barrage of self induced fantasies he uses to try and explain why he's not a loser. Ultimately, it ends like a reverse "It's a Wonderful Life" and with the harsh realization that his life never mattered and everyone is better off without him.I watched this film not only from the morbid entertainment value, but also from a weird psychological standpoint. I know a 30 year old man- child that works for his father and lives in his childhood bedroom. Somehow, this guy I know, like the character in the film, refuses to see himself for what he is and acts like an obnoxious, self indulgent, entitled loser that thinks he's cooler than he really is and blames everyone around him for his faults and failures. It offered me quiet a bit on insight to his world.

"Sweetie, we've written you off as a failure years ago." Abe (Gelber) is a toy collector and a slacker. In his 30's and still living at home with his parents and working for his father (Walken) he is not always happy. He meets Miranda (Blair) at a party and instantly falls in love. He asks her out once then proposes marriage. When a series of events begins Abe's life takes a strange turn. Having never seen a movie by Solondz before I was expecting this to be a comedy. I couldn't have been more wrong. The movie is OK but it's pretty depressing and Gelber does a really good job in this you really feel for his character. Selma Blair also does a pretty good job and they was she plays you are as confused about her as Abe is, which is probably the point. The acting really drives and helps the movie but to me the movie is just to slow moving to make it a high recommend. If you like Solondz movies then you will like this I'm guessing. To me it was OK but hard to get into. Overall, not bad but slow moving and I did get bored a little, up until the end. Which I was not expecting. I give it a C+.

Writer-Director Todd Solondz's latest chapter on depicting duds is "Dark Horse". Solondz continues to giddy-up on those who emotionally struggle while others intensify their misery to worsen with their harsh comments. "Dark Horse" stars Jordan Gelber as Abe, a 30-something overweight slacker who still lives with his wealthy parents and also works at a real estate corporation owned by his papa. Not-Honest Abe is lazy in his job, egotistical in his mentality, and charmless in his persona. He also has a huge toy collection; most of them collector's items from the 80's. Anyways, I don't think this "dark horse" of a man-child will get a spectacular bid by the female population for companionship. Abe meets in a wedding a pretty but melancholy woman named Miranda. Miraculously enough or unbelievably enough (take your pick), Miranda takes a liking to Abe and even accepts his wedding proposal. Maybe, Mr. Abe the Dark Horse is hung as a "dark horse". Anyways, moving right along; Abe's mother Phyllis continues to smother him and treat him like a 10 year old, I wonder if she is Cuban? Abe's father Jackie on the other hand has little confidence in Abe due to Abe's lackadaisical ways, and even considers firing him. Abe's brother Richard is a successful good-looking doctor who Abe despises and has a rocky relationship with. Can jealousy be part of that sibling chaos? You think? "Dark Horse" gets out to a rousing start with Solondz' successfully running the "Dark Horse" with sharp writing and direction. But then towards the third act of the film, Solondz derails the "Dark Horse" on the wrong track with unnecessary stale scenes that makes the "Dark Horse" lose it by much more than a nose. I thought the acting of the film was strong. The Gelber Big-Baby (sorry Jordan) Jordan Gelber excelled in his starring performance as Abe. Selma Blair was all there with her effort as Miranda. Veteran thespians Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow were straight as an arrow with their solid work as Abe's parents, Phyllis and Jackie. And Justin Bartha was a believable brother from the same Abe father & mother with his work as Richard. Call it Murphy's Law, but I think Solondz should have cut out completely Donna Murphy's work as a middle-aged secretary who is utilized as a "voice of reason" or in this case more "a voice of reality"; I can understand what Solondz was trying to do, but the whole concept lacked originality mostly due to Murphy's stale performance. "Dark Horse" will not be a dark horse at the next Academy Awards. But I still think you should get on your high horse, and give it a ride. *** Average

I had never seen a Todd Solondz movie before but I was aware of his reputation as a maker of dark movies. The first twenty minutes of this movie hint that he has made a somewhat quirky romcom but don't be fooled.The movie begins as overweight Abe (Jordan Gelber) gets quiet Miranda's (Selma Blair) number after they share a table at a wedding. He phones her and after a couple of awkward encounters they start going out. Perhaps this will lead to a happy ever after ending as this odd couple discover they are perfect for each other.Maybe not. Abe lives with his parents (Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow) and works for his Dad. He blames everything and everyone but himself for this situation, his parents, his more successful brother. In reality he is completely self-obsessed. Miranda seems to suffer from depression and is taking a lot of medication. They both desperately want to be loved but perhaps there is a reason that they are unloved. Perhaps they are unlovable and all the wishing in the world won't change this.Solondz takes an unwavering look at the unattractive traits that we all have and their consequences in our relationships with others. His conclusion seems to be that some people are destined not to have happy lives and perhaps they themselves are the main reason for this. And even if they find some kind of comfort pure bad luck can come in and spoil everything anyway.Gelber and Blair are excellent in the main roles. In the supporting cast Walken, Farrow and Donna Murphy also excel.Definitely a film to make you think, though they may not be nice thoughts!