"Dark Horse" is about two dead-end 30 year olds. Abe (Jordan Gelber) is an overweight moocher who lives with his parents and works responsibility-free for his father's company. He is a habitual liar, even to himself. Miranda (Selma Blair) is a failed academic moved back home. She's meek, locked in a pit of failure with no escape. The two meet at a wedding, and Abe quickly falls in love with her. A week later, after meeting her again, he proposes to her.
Yeah, it's a quick proposal, which brings the question: who is using who?
The film has a strong focus in the form of Abe, whose selfish and spoiled existence collapses under the weight of his regressive lifestyle. Director Todd Solondz made a smart choice in casting Gelber, who sells the character's blustering attempts at false confidence. Justin Bartha, Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow co-star as Abe's family, who have given him everything for nothing and seem to have accepted it. Blair's Miranda is almost the anti-pixie love interest, someone who allows Abe to remain who he is rather than change him for the better. Each character appropriately fleshes out Abe's attitudes and behavior. It's full-belly filmmaking.
Solondz's best creative choice is his depiction of Abe's complete breakdown. He uses visual metaphor with great skill, keeping the pace of what is essentially a misanthropic diatribe fresh and enjoyable. Toys, in particular, serve an important purpose in Abe's tattered psyche. It's arrested development as you've never seen it.
"Dark Horse" is not light watching. Abe is a man trapped without any idea how to escape. All he can do is lie, and when faced with truth, reacts accusatorially and with great cruelty. There's not a lot to like about him. The conclusion of the film bets on it.
But it's an interesting approach to the "nerd life change" comedy formula. The lessons Abe learns are uncommon for the genre. I'm not accustomed to films where the negatives are so gloriously realized and vindicated. For thematic quirks alone, "Dark Horse" is worth a watch.
The DVD extras are sparse. Not even the chapters have separate names. Anticipate some sort of special edition down the line.