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Welcome to the Dollhouse (1996)
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Movie Review by Jarrod 
February 28th, 2008
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'Welcome to the Dollhouse' is a disturbing, painfully honest look at the life of a wholly unattractive girl named Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), tormented at school by her mean-spirited peers, and ignored at home by her parents in favor of her younger sister, Missy, who is absolutely perfect in every possible way. Dawn does not stand out; her brother Mark is smarter than she is, so she cannot distinguish herself academically. She is judged only be her physical appearance, which is almost unnatural in its ugliness, and involves a bizarre convergence of the worst kind of features a person could have. Dawn represents the experiences of many kids, those who are subjected to cruel treatment in the junior high school environment simply because they do not easily conform to perceived standards of beauty or normalcy. This is the point writer-director Todd Solondz is trying to make, and he makes it successfully. Only Carrie comes as close in portraying the hells of adolescence. This movie is largely a satire, a dark comedy. It makes you uncomfortable. Take, for instance, Dawn's relationship with Brandon (Brendan Sexton III), an outsider and bully who threatens to rape Dawn, and ends up taking her as his girlfriend, and she seems so desperate for attention and acceptance that she lets him, even though it is obvious he goes for her because he stands no chance of nailing anyone prettier. He comes from an abusive home, and has a retarded brother, which helps to explain his behavior, but does not excuse it. There is more depth to him that we initially realize. He and Dawn are alike in many ways. Dawn's sole friend is Ralphy, who is also ridiculed and harassed, which is perhaps why he can connect to Dawn. They have no one but themselves. Dawn develops a crush on Steve Rodgers (Eric Mabius), the studly lead singer in Mark's band. This crush is more of an obsession, a sad and pathetic one at that. Matarazzo is a revelation here, and this performance perhaps set her up for future fame. It also contains some of Solondz's sharpest and smartest writing.
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