Dark Horse Page #3

Synopsis: Abe Wertheimer - an odious, purposeless, self-centered 35-year-old living parasitically with his parents (by choice) and working in his dismayed father's business office (avoiding work while scoping eBay for collectible toys) - meets Miranda, an equally pathetic but self-loathing social dropout who, having given up on life, masochistically accepts Abe's sudden proposal of marriage for a knowingly grim future she won't fight against. Along with projecting his own faults onto his father, his own jealousy for lack of success and accomplishment onto his younger brother, and wallowing in the blind support of his mother, it's just another aspect of Abe's unsatisfying life that he just can't see to improve. A long-overdue decision finally spins his insignificant life out of control.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director(s): Todd Solondz
Production: Vitagraph Films
  3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.0
Metacritic:
66
Rotten Tomatoes:
71%
NOT RATED
Year:
2011
86 min
$166,228
Website
582 Views


take you by surprise, I mean, like,

totally wild and crazy, I know.

I'm just a dark horse

at heart, but I always

just tell myself,

"Abe, go for it!"

Uh-huh.

Miranda, I wanna marry you.

Will you accept?

Don't say anything.

Just think about it.

I know. It's totally

crazy. I know.

I just wanted to put it out

there, let you know how I feel.

But let's just push

that aside for now.

You wanna go to the movies?

Go to the mall or something?

Pick up some tacos?

Hi, there.

Did you have a nice day?

[Male on TV]

Raisins give me gas.

[Female on TV] They do?

Yes, mom.

But they never gave you gas

when you were a little boy.

Yeah, well, they give me gas

now, so, please, no raisins.

Okay, then, I'll

just leave them on

the side and give you

some prunes instead.

Prunes? I don't

want any prunes.

You finish the spreadsheets?

Yes.

Well, then, where are they?

The computer's jammed.

As soon as I fix it,

I'll email them to you.

- "Jammed?"

- Yeah, jammed.

There's a technical

glitch in the software.

I told you, I need this stuff

done, today, the latest.

Yeah, well, it's not

like it's my fault!

Well, then, who's fault is it?

I can't take anymore

of this crap!

You always blame

me for everything!

Well, f*** you! I quit!

Fine!

And you can pack up

and move out

of the house

while you're at it!

And you can program the TiVo yourself!

[Door slamming]

[Car alarm chirps]

George Clooney.

Nicole Kidman.

Brad Pitt.

[Car alarm chirps]

Abe? Honey? Is everything...

[male on TV]

What the hell are you doing?

[Woman on TV] I want a divorce.

[Knock on door]

What do you want?

Honey...?

Talk to me.

Dad's such an a**hole.

I know, honey.

I hate him.

I know.

I mean, like, I'm

always so nice to him.

Like showing him how to work

the TiVo, and other stuff.

I know.

I'm moving out.

Where you gonna go?

Away. As far away

as possible.

Do you need any money?

I have savings. I don't

need anyone's help.

I mean, like, mom, I'm...

Remember, I'm always

here for you.

Mom.

Yes, honey?

Actually, you know, you never did

pay up for my backgammon winnings.

Oh, well, I'll write you

a check in the morning.

$845, as of October 4th.

You're always so good

with dates and numbers.

Hey, you wanna play

a quick round, just for fun?

First, the check.

Can I pay you in installments?

Otherwise, if your

father finds out...

he won't.

Don't leave us.

Please.

Where are you gonna go?

I haven't decided yet.

Maybe France.

The dollar's not so

strong these days.

I can go to Mexico.

But you hate the heat.

They have air conditioning

there, in some places.

Then go to Mexico.

If that's what you need to

get out of your system.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

Todd Solondz

Todd Solondz (born October 15, 1959) is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia," a reflection of his own background in New Jersey.[1] His work includes Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Happiness (1998), Storytelling (2001), Palindromes (2004), Life During Wartime (2009), and Dark Horse (2012). more…

All Todd Solondz scripts | Todd Solondz Scripts

0 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Dark Horse" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/dark_horse_6338>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.