Plot
Insightful look at an unattractive 7th grader as she struggles to cope with un-attentive parents, snobbish classmates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister, and her own insecurities.
Release Year: 1995
Rating: 7.4/10 (16,234 voted)
Critic's Score: 83/100
Director:
Todd Solondz
Stars: Heather Matarazzo, Christina Brucato, Victoria Davis
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....
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
Josiah Trager
-
Kenny
Ken Leung
-
Barry
Dimitri DeFresco
-
Ralphy
(as Dimitri Iervolino)
Rica Martens
-
Mrs. Grissom
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Dawn is talking to Brandon in the clubhouse, she is leaning over so her bra (or perhaps a white undershirt) is showing through her sweater. In the exact same shot a few seconds later, it's covered up, even though she hasn't moved.
Quotes: Dawn Weiner:
I was fighting back. Mrs. Weiner:
Who told you to fight back?
User Review
Cruelty
Rating: 10/10
"Welcome to the Dollhouse" was the introduction of an important voice
in the American cinema. Todd Solondz's incisive study of a suburban
family is one of the best indie films of the last decade. Having seen
it in its theatrical release, we had the opportunity recently to take a
new look at it. Mr. Solondz has created a picture of what cruelty does
to a child, and how prevalent it is everywhere.
When we first meet the Wieners, living in suburban New Jersey, they
appear to be the ideal family. Both parents, on the surface, look
normal, but in watching them closely we come to the conclusion they are
not. Some couples are not meant to be parents and the Wieners,
obviously, while supportive of the older son, Mark, and the cute
younger daughter, Missy, turn a blind eye toward Dawn, their middle
daughter who is going through a hard time as she starts junior high
school.
Not only is Dawn an unhappy girl, but she is the object of cruelty in
the hands of the other students, both in her class, and in her school,
in general. We watch as Brandon, the punkish boy, begins to taunt Dawn
in his own sadistic way. Other girls come right out and ask Dawn
whether she is a lesbian. There's also another girl that terrorizes her
when both meet in the school bathroom. Every time Dawn tries to rebel,
it turns out in disaster. Her school teacher doesn't even see anything
wrong with Dawn, who is obviously affected by all she is experiencing
at this crucial moment.
Dawn hits a nerve with Brandon when she calls him a retard. Little does
she know his own brother is mentally challenged. Usually in the case of
bullies like Brandon, they are acting up their frustrations by taking
it on others they perceive as weaker, which is why he thinks he can do
anything to Dawn because she will never do anything to him.
In a scene that gives cruelty a new name, we watch as the Wieners are
having dinner one night. When Dawn contradicts something her mother has
said, she is punished by not getting her dessert. We watch in total
disbelief as the other Wieners begin to eat and Dawn's slice of
chocolate cake remains near her mother until Missy asks to share that
piece with Mark.
Dawn only has a friend. The young boy who shares her interests in
hanging out in the dollhouse in the Wiener's backyard. When the hunky
Steve Rogers joins Mark's band, Dawn discovers an irresistible
attraction toward this loser. Dawn turns against her only friend and
will call him names that we all realize is her own way to deal with
emotions she has no control on. Instead of finding happiness among her
peers, Dawn only encounters scorn and ridicule.
In Heather Matarazzo, the director found a young talent to give life to
Dawn Wiener. Ms. Matarazzo has a peculiar kind of beauty, but she is
made to wear horrible clothes to capture the essence of this sad young
teen. Ms. Matarazzo under the guidance of Mr. Solondz makes an
appealing Dawn. This young actress gave her character a range of
emotions that even older, and more accomplished, actress wouldn't have
given to this lost soul.
The rest of the cast is perfect. Brendan Sexton plays Brendan, the boy
from a poor and broken home that has to deal with the blow life has
given him. Angela Pietropinto as Mrs. Wiener is seen as the mother from
hell. Mattew Faber and Daria Kalinina play Dawn's siblings.
This was a film that put Todd Solondz on the map. As he has shown with
later films, he is a voice to be reckoned with in the independent
cinema.
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