Welcome To The Dollhouse (DVD)

...unpopular 12 year old girl. Welcome To The Dollhouse is rather hysterical, but in a manner that most might find disturbing when hearing about the subject matter; Solondz takes issues that we should not laugh about and makes them funny. In fact if Solondz had made this film five years earlier the movie probably would have been banned and he would have been outlawed. Through excellent craftsmanship this movie is made more acceptable, but there still ...
...boy.

Welcome To The Dollhouse is a movie that is incredibly difficult to define and make appealing, in all ways it sounds totally unappealing. But it has a kind of magic about it that makes it not only compulsive viewing, but it makes you want to watch it again and again. If you have ever seen The Office the characteristics of the character David Brent are similar to that of Dawn. You feel yourself cringing watching her, at times you'll ... more

Todd Solondz first movie is a twisted tale of small town life through the eyes of an unpopular 12 year old girl. Welcome To The Dollhouse is rather hysterical, but in a manner that most might find disturbing when hearing about the subject matter; Solondz takes issues that we should not laugh about and makes them funny. In fact if Solondz had made this film five years earlier the movie probably would have been banned and he would have been outlawed. Through excellent craftsmanship this movie is made more acceptable, but there still is the ability to shock.

For the Wiener family only one child is truly accepted; Missy Wiener is the youngest child, and the only really loved child of Mr and Mrs Wiener. There other two children Mark and Dawn are more of a disappointment. Mark is a typical nerd child who loves computers and is trying to form a band. Dawn or "Wiener Dog" as she is better known by everyone else; has no friends with the exception of little gay Ralphy (movies terminology not mine), at school she becomes the target of abuse. Dawn is the star of the movie, all the other characters fall by the sideline. During the movies 90 minute runtime its through Dawn's eyes that we see the story unravel.

There is nowhere safe for Dawn, at home she is constantly reminded that she is a failure. And at school she is bullied by everyone even the other nerds. She is forced to do humiliating things like go to the toilet in front of others, and the school bully Brandon threatens to rape her each afternoon at 3pm. Into this gloomy and miserable world walks Steve Rodgers the local school stud, he is a few years older than Dawn but it does not bother her, she wants him and will stop at nothing to get him. To Steve however she is just Marks dorky little sister, and will always be so. Dawn sets about trying to improve herself, by finding Steve's old conquests and seeing if at the very least she can get "finger banged" by Steve. As no doubt you can tell the movie is sliding down a very slippery path which unfortunately seems to get no better as the movie continues; but as I said earlier this is done so tastefully that is made quite funny.
The character of Dawn is so annoying you know that if you were part of the movie you would be bullying her too. But at the same time you cannot help but see the rather twisted world from her angle. Through all of this you can see some glimmers of life, Dawn makes some rather unlikely acquaintances. These relationships keep the movie a bit more level headed and from just falling down the line of being considered bad taste, or bad taste that's good. Dawn gets to experience some things that are ahead of her time, including real love with a less than likely boy.

Welcome To The Dollhouse is a movie that is incredibly difficult to define and make appealing, in all ways it sounds totally unappealing. But it has a kind of magic about it that makes it not only compulsive viewing, but it makes you want to watch it again and again. If you have ever seen The Office the characteristics of the character David Brent are similar to that of Dawn. You feel yourself cringing watching her, at times you'll find yourself desperately trying not to scream at your TV screen at this freaky child. The real masterstroke of the movie comes in the last 30 minutes which I cannot really go into, but if you can imagine the sickest and most demented resolution to all of Dawn's problems you cannot even come close to how this movie climaxes.

I think that of all of Solondz's movies Welcome To The Dollhouse is by far the cleverest and most amusing. Few will have seen such excellent craft work than the way Solondz builds and develops all of the characters, the humour to ever element, and the longing to live the life of "someone" not necessarily Dawn, for just one day. I defy anyone regardless of your moral fibre to watch this movie without enjoying it, from innocent moments to the most absurd it's a movie that you'll see new elements too with each viewing. Some of the jokes you simply don't get the first time round, others you still don't get after ten viewings. But if you allow yourself to get into Solondz mindset then you'll soon understand all elements of his humour.

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


Welcome To The Dollhouse is available for £10.99 from Play.com; which is substancially cheaper than most other places I can find. 

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