Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

An unattractive seventh grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish classmates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister, and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz

Stars:

Heather Matarazzo, Christina Brucato, Victoria Davis

4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Seventh-grade is no fun. Especially for Dawn Weiner when everyone at school calls you 'Dog-Face' or 'Wiener-Dog.' Not to mention if your older brother is 'King of the Nerds' and your younger sister is a cutesy ballerina who gets you in trouble but is your parents' favorite. And that's just the beginning--her life seems to be falling apart when she faces rejection from the older guy in her brother's band that she has a crush on, her parents want to tear down her 'Special People's Club' clubhouse, and her sister is abducted....

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Plot Keywords:

school | social outcast | first crush | bullying | bully | 

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Taglines:

Not all girls want to play with dolls.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Faggots and Retards

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,813,000, 19 July 1996

Gross USA:

$4,771,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Suburban Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Heather Matarazzo.

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Goofs

In the principal's PA address he says, "Good morning, students..." but the clock next to the speaker shows the time as 12:30.

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Quotes

Ralphie: [after Brandon leaves Dawn's backyard] Don't worry, Dawn. Brandon's just a retard.
Dawn Weiner: FAGGOT!

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Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: The Reigning Lorelai (2004)

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Soundtracks

The Nutcracker Suite
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (as Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
Courtesy of Eclipse Music Group

User Reviews

Bravo Solondz!

"Welcome to the Dollhouse" is a fresh, creative, no frills pic about a junior high school girl who is the personification of "uncool". This poignant film could be dark comedy, light drama, satire or even farce depending on how its interpreted. However that may be, it shows in painful detail the assassination of the self esteem of a sweet, kind, and thoughtful girl who wants little more than to be liked. Entertaining as it may be, "...Dollhouse" is a movie with a message for everyone who has ever been 12.