Film Facts
Directed by Todd Solondz
Released in 1996
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewed by Mongo
Film Review - Welcome to the Dollhouse
Ouch! This is a really hard movie to watch!
Remember your pathetic life in the seventh grade? Ever wanted to see it on the big screen? Neither did I.
Dollhouse tries to be a slice of life about the difficult adolescent years, but it's a miserable failure.
Here's your typical screwed-up American family. Poor Dawn Wiener can't dress in a hip fashionable sense, and she's had her self-respect beaten out of her. She's even willing to accept the inevitability of being raped. Her brother has his head stuck so far in his books and worrying about getting into a descent college, he's losing out on any type of real childhood. The parents are so into themselves, they can't see how screwed up their kids have become.
Yawn! Who thought this was going to make a good movie? What's the message? It seems to be "Give up, because life sucks." Yeah, life can suck, but it doesn't have to. I guess if you're just feeling too damned happy with life, you can watch this to bring you down. Otherwise, save your money, go next door and spy on the dysfunctional family over there.