Indie film of the day: ‘The Fiddling Horse’
Today we are revisiting the 2019 dark comedy The Fiddling Horse from Margrette Bird Pictures, a lean con-artist story that has since found its audience on streaming platforms rather than the festival circuit once expected.
The Fiddling Horse follows Leslie Heart, who inherits a racehorse and recruits a former celebrity jockey to run a long con that quietly banks both prize money and social capital. The scheme plays out against the rigid codes of high society, where appearances matter more than the actual odds.
Plot and Cast
The cast remains anchored by stand-up comedian Andy Kindler, whose credits include Everybody Loves Raymond, Bob’s Burgers, and I’m Dying Up Here. J. Elvis Weinstein appears alongside him, bringing experience from Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Freaks and Geeks. Paula Lindberg, Alley Mills, David Haydn-Jones, and Heather Matarazzo round out the ensemble, with Matarazzo drawing on roles from The Princess Diaries, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and The L Word. The film completed principal photography and reached distribution after the initial 2019 announcements.
Where to Watch The Fiddling Horse
The movie streams with ads on DistroTV and Tubi TV. Viewers can also buy or rent it on Amazon Video and Apple TV, giving the story wider reach than the summer festival slate once planned.
Festival and Awards Recognition
After its initial festival circuit ambitions, the production company later described The Fiddling Horse as an award-winning comedy in 2020 posts. Major aggregator sites now list the film with completed credits, confirming that the project moved past pre-release status into documented recognition.
Cast Updates Since Release
Andy Kindler, Heather Matarazzo, and the rest of the ensemble have continued working steadily in comedy and independent film. No new cast-specific developments tie directly back to The Fiddling Horse, yet their ongoing careers keep the original ensemble visible to new audiences discovering the title on streaming.
Production Company Legacy
Margrette Bird Pictures was founded by filmmaker CJ Wallis and producer Mallory Kennedy. Their earlier documentary Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much won Best Documentary at the Orlando International Film Festival and opened Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival. The company’s track record of completed projects underscores a steady output that extends beyond the 2019 slate.
CJ Wallis, based in New Orleans, wrote and directed The Fiddling Horse. He also serves as creative director for Jet Life Records under the name FortyFPS, handling album design and visuals for artists including Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and Ty Dolla $ign. Mallory Kennedy works as a writer, visual arts curator, and fundraising consultant with experience across public and private sectors.
The official trailer, first released in 2019, remains available on YouTube for anyone curious about the tone before streaming the full film. The story of The Fiddling Horse has settled into a modest but durable life on demand, available whenever viewers want to watch a quiet con unfold at the track.
