Welcome to the Dollhouse
Written, Directed, and Produced by Todd Solondz (Happinness)
Starring:
Heather Matarazzo (The Devil's Advocate, 54) as Dawn Weiner
Brendon Sexton III (Empire Records, Pecker) as Brandon McCarthy
As Reviewed by James Brundage
Being a previous New Jersey resident who went as a differrent person during the long, boring years of Junior High School, WWPMS (West Windsor Plainsboro Middle School: the PMS was the but of constant jokes), this movie holds a special place in my heart (or lack thereof).
Welcome to the Dollhouse tells the story of Dawn Weiner, nicknamed Weinerdog by her classmates. Dawn Weiner, just like most New Jersey youths, lives as one of three children of which the parents only wanted one… the baby. The older brother is a nerd destined for the Ivy League and the younger sister is a little girl stereotype who takes ballet lessons all the time. All of the other students at her middle school hate her. All the girls call her a lesbo, she's a pariah to all the guys. And, like every other person living in a vastly superficial world, she just wants to be popular.
Her plan to be popular is as devious and darkly comic as Solondz's script: seduce a high school senior who will sleep with anything that moves. Sadly, as admittedly unattractive as Dawn is, she's just not equipped for the task. Be that as it may, she puts all her energy into trying to act nice, while the school bully, Brandon, is falling in love with her.
On one level the movie is devilishly funny, with creative, interesting lines like the followwing: Dawn: Do you think about girls? Mark: Are you kidding? I want to get into a good school! On another level it earns the 1996 Sundance Grand Jury Prize by taking on the harsh issues of being picked on, kidnapping, jealousy, love, and the other issues of youth in suburbia.
It's not a film for a conservative to watch, though. In fact, if you're a conservative, BACK OFF. The film's either weakest or strongest aspect is its willingness to have lines like "I don't mean to be a c*nt" and the threat of rape into the movie. The same applies for ultra-liberals, who have to deal with the standard conservative American parents. Everyone in between, and everyone who loves independent movies, however, should run down to the video store and pick this one up. I mean buy, not rent, by the way.
Movie Reviews by James Brundage