Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz (written by)

Release Date:

24 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Not all girls want to play with dolls.

Plot:

Insightful look at an unattractive 7th grader as she struggles to cope with un-attentive parents, snobbish classmates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister, and her own insecurities.

Plot Keywords:

Crush | Nerd | Toilet | Coming Of Age | Gay Slur

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Heather Matarazzo	...	Dawn Wiener
Victoria Davis	...	Lolita
Christina Brucato	...	Cookie
Christina Vidal	...	Cynthia
Siri Howard	...	Chrissy
Brendan Sexton III	...	Brandon McCarthy (as Brendan Sexton, Jr.)
Telly Pontidis	...	Jed
Herbie Duarte	...	Lance
Scott Coogan	...	Troy
Daria Kalinina	...	Missy Wiener
Matthew Faber	...	Mark Wiener
Josiah Trager	...	Kenny
Ken Leung	...	Barry
Dimitri DeFresco	...	Ralphy (as Dimitri Iervolino)
Rica Martens	...	Mrs. Grissom

Also Known As:

Faggots and Retards (USA) (working title)
Middle Child

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:11 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

West Caldwell, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Suburban Pictures

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Steve is Singing "Welcome to the Dollhouse", his lip movements do not match up with the words when the scene is up close of him about to finish the song. this is due to another actor dubbing his singing voice.

Quotes:

Dawn Weiner: Drop dead lesbo.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Swan Lake

The Curse of a Middle Child or Welcome to Hell!

Just imagine for one second that you are an 11 years old girl with ugly glasses. You are a middle child (the film also known as Faggots and Retards (working title) or Middle Child) with an older brother who is a computer wiz and a little sister, a pretty ballerina. Your name is Dawn Wiener, and almost every student in your middle school hates you, tells you in your face that you are ugly, and nobody remembers your name, you are called Dog Face or Wiener Dog', and one of your classmates greets you every morning with the words, "I'll rape you today at 3 pm" . The film should be called "Welcome to Hell", and Todd Solondz is our Virgil in this Inferno.

Heather Matarazzo is absolutely terrific. She was able to play both, an archetype of an insecure, unloved, misunderstood, and lost in this cruel world child as well as one very real suffering young girl from New Jersey. That's why I could not forget her Dawn, I wanted to talk her, to tell her that yes, the world is cruel, and she was dealt the mixed cards from the beginning but she could play them, there is always hope, there are books, music, and art. Hang on; I would tell her, you are not going to be an "ugly duckling" forever. You'll take off your stupid glasses, you will grow up, you'll be just fine and you will find friends – just wait. But how can one wait at 11? The time drags so slowly in childhood, and every day is descending to Hell…

One of the best films about the "happy" school years I've ever seen.

9.5/10