Synopsis
Not all girls want to play with dolls.
An unattractive 7th grader struggles to cope with suburban life as the middle child with inattentive parents and bullies at school.
1995 Directed by Todd Solondz
An unattractive 7th grader struggles to cope with suburban life as the middle child with inattentive parents and bullies at school.
There are two things this film (and other works in this vein, i.e. Solondz' filmography) do best are capturing the feel of awkwardness and insert the bleak side of the American dream into the everyday. It does it here with some very bright colors.
There is very little in this that isn't offensive. Rape, pedophilia, abuse, and more are turned into unpleasant punchlines, but unlike many edgy comedies, this film has the decency to make sure you know none of this is okay. It still crosses the line. It's aware it's crossing the line. It's emphasizing the line as it runs it over. It employs hyperbole. It employs an awkward directness that seems inhuman, unreal, but rings true.
What makes…
Few movies correctly portray the sadness and loneliness of childhood, this one does and does it well.
when she was sawing the barbie doll's head off it reminded me of that time i made a voodoo doll of one of my teachers in year 4 out of one of my barbie dolls and broke the dolls leg and then a week later, my teacher actually broke the same leg as the doll's leg sooooooooo
Most coming-of-age films remind its audience of their so-called golden years in life. From John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club to Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, this film genre reminisces the good, the bad, and the ugly of the adolescent years in a much better light; that while growing up is difficult, everything will be okay… eventually. But honestly, who are these films fooling? Most, if not all, people would agree that their high school years are the worst moment in their life so far. The social cliques based on looks and popularity, the god-awful teachers, the incessant bullying, the lack of expressive freedom, and the disgusting-looking cafeteria food are few of the reasons that barely touch the problematic period of our…
A lot like 'Eighth Grade' but long before social media, and even more awkward at times ... but not as awkward as Todd Solondz's follow up film 'Happiness'.
A few Quick Hits of what you can expect from this strange little movie:
- Wow it would suck to have a name like Wiener, especially in the cruel world of Middle School
- Wow, not even the main character Dawn's parents like her
- "Yo, Weiner, you better get ready, 'cause at three o'clock today, I'm gonna RAPE you!"
- "I don't mean to be a cunt."
- "Do you know what "special people means? ... What? ... Special people equals retarded. Your club is for retards."
Welcome to the Dollhouse is the kind of dark comedy where you hold your breath hoping it will not go there, but are also strangely curious if it will at the same time.
Thanks for reading.
Happy movie watching ... Skål!
the being called lesbo in middle school to growing up and becoming greta gerwig pipeline