Rating: 
Summary: I was completely Heather
Review: The first time I saw this movie I loved it. It's hilarious. I can say that this movie is completely accurate in depicting the horrors that befall the unlucky, ugly, socially inept, nerds, etc junior high school kids. I say it's accurate because Heather is ME when I was in seventh grade. I was picked on mercilessly, called names (my 7th grade yearbook has PROOF of what my classmates called me) my family home life was beyond miserable. I had no one to talk to about anything. I got picked on in school and ceaselessly nagged and told how awful I was at home. And I am not making any of this up. And yes, I TOO am amazed at myself that I haven't ended up in jail or have committed suicide due to that year plus the years before and following.I think the movie is hilarious. It is accurate and anyone who says it is not realistic, well you are dead wrong. I'm 31 now and somehow recovered from that year, but believe me, I still have scars. But I think I've recovered enough that I can laugh at this movie. I can laugh because I've been through it. I don't laugh because I'm mean, or don't have a heart, I laugh because of how true this movie is. And I laugh because I am happy that I wasn't the only one who went through the torture of 7th grade. Oh, my nickname was Smelanie in case anyone was interested.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: Todd Solondz' Welcome To The Dollhouse has got to be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I feel kind of guilty laughing at some of the things that happen to Dawn Wiener(Heather Matarazzo), because they are so sad. Like when she has to make a speach in front of the school and the entire school starts yelling her nickname "Weiner dog". Or when she has to read a paper about dignity aloud in class for grade grubing. Dawn is so akward in her middle school years, but aren't we all? Everyone just finds a really good way to hide it so no one notices, but Dawn was chosen to be the loser for the rest of her life. She dresses wierd, acts wierd and is snotty to her only friend Ralphy because he is gay and she knows she has the upper hand. Todd Solondz really shows no compassion for his lead character Dawn. Everything that can go wrong in her life, does. Her family ignores her, everyone at school lives to torment and humiliate her, and her "boyfriend" is the town delinquent that wanted to rape her. Dawn is sad and pathetic and I really feel sorry for her, but I can't help myself from laughing. Dawns center of existance is Steve Rogers, the kid who played in a band and got left back a few times. He really takes advantage of Dawn, and anyone else he can get his hands on. This unrequited love makes for some really funny scenes. The drivers licence shrine, and her showing off her fingers with the piano... Heather Matarazzo is amazing as Dawn Wiener, although I feel kinda bad for ther because she will probably be known as Wiener dog for the rest of her life, well in my head anyway. She makes you understand Dawn, and gives her a great akwardness. All she's really trying to do is fit in.
Rating:
Summary: Charming yet disturbing, and rings hauntingly true to life
Review: I appreciate directors such as the one who directed "Welcome to the Dollhouse" for creating an image of the real world, in which everyone isn't popular, beautiful, and happy from the start. Pretty much, to sum up the whole plot of the film, its about the coming of age of a Junior High School pariah nicknamed "Weinerdog" by her exceptionally immature classmates. She's threatened, harassed, ignored (middle child syndrome?), and is nonexistent in the eyes of a much older boy she finds herself in love with. However, I really didn't like how the film ended, as it ended without a resolution. The main character, Dawn Weiner, seems to be such a clone of her older brother, and nothing changed with the behavior of her family. Well written film, which I could relate to with some of the experiences I had to deal with for 14 years of my life. I would be interested in seeing more by this director.
Rating:
Summary: A sweet, funny movie.
Review: Welcome to the Dollhouse was a touching film and the main character was so easy to relate to! As a girl who was relentlessly teased growing up I can completely relate to Heather Matarazzo's character. Her courage and spirit are fantastic and her way of dealing with her family, classmates, and her everyday life is remarkable. A funny, quick-witted movie for anyone who is currently in, or survived adolescence.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best films on growing up ever
Review: Simpson creator Matt Groening put it best when he called junior high "the lowest pit of hell". Yep, thats pretty much what it is. I went through it, and even though I no where near matched the utter pathetisism of Dawn, I was definetely not with any homecoming queens. Dawn is reminiscient of "that kid" we knew in junior and senior high. You know "that kid", the one you never talked to, the one all the beautiful people harrassed because she didn't buy the Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, didn't like what was popular, or just made everyone uncomfortable becasue of his/her wierdness. Dawn deals with her fellow classmates, who are constantly debasing her for no better reason than her wierdness. Her parents are also a source of constant torment, riding her all day long about why can't she be like her cuter than tolerable sister. In fact the only source of solace she finds is in her older and determined to get to college brother and in Brandon, who despite his utter contempt for her, finds a kinship in thier mutual wierdness. This movie, more than else, reminds adults why they are happy to be out of the public education system.
Rating:
Summary: ya gotta see this!
Review: "Welcome to the Dollhouse" is one of the most hilarious films I've ever seen. It's about a dorky 7th grade girl, (which I was, now I'm a dorky 8TH grade girl) named Dawn Weiner who is bullied by her parents and her classmates. Everyone in her middle school seems to hate her, probably since they are afraid that they have the same qualities (or lack thereof) as Dawn. The catch of the film is the realistic portrayal of Middle School life. Brendan Sexton III plays that kid from over the tracks, yep we all know or knew that kid, the one who doesn't look washed or loved as much as he should and lives in that OTHER part of town and uses it to intimidate people so everyone's scared of him. He pretends to hate Dawn, happy to find someone more pathetic than himself, but really likes her and she likes him too, but she's already delved into an infatuation with her brother's hunky long-haired friend. It also shows the cruelty of everyone in Dawn's grade, especially the nasty popular girls who talk about parties she's not invited to and call her a "weener-dog." After enough abuse, Dawn starts to retaliate, sorta. She becomes mean. But after about five hours, she realizes that it doesn't work for her, and goes back to being herself, insecure, miserable, and harmless as a fly. Dawn is a pathetic, unpleasant character; she's not really friendly, athletic, or musical, but she does have a bit of intelligence, which lets her realize that the abuse she takes is not right. Heather Matarazzo should have gotten an oscar for this role. She becomes the character so well, that I could not think of her any other way except as Dawn, although there's no way she could possibly be this unpleasant in real life. There's a little bit of hope for Dawn Weiner, and a lot of hope for the career of Todd Solondz, a brilliant 32 year old man who has to be just a tad perverted to understand how grueling it is to be a 7th grade girl.
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Summary: Can a movie be any better?
Review: When I watched this movie for the very first time I asked myself " could it be any better?" I don't know what it was about it that made it number one in my book , but it was probibly seeng Brendan Sexton III...Because I totally love him!!!I think that this movie was so interesting because it in a way took the same type of ideas that people see in every day t.v. shows and made them more enjoyible to watch.I don't know what exaclly made other people like this movie but what really made it ausome for me was watching Brendan Sexton III & his dangerous and sly way of acting. I was reccomend this movie to anyone and everyone I know.If you ask me this movie deserved 5 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Disturbingly excellent
Review: This is a greatly disturbing American film. One watches this film laughing all the way through, while simultaneously shocked at the provocative and deeply disturbing character interaction one sees. Welcome to the Dollhouse is a satire of the stereotype of the American condition. It challenges us to look beyond what 1950's television told us what is the American family. This film should be seen. If you liked American Beauty, this film is similar to it, although it is far superior. Its strength lies not only in its writing and acting, but also in its humility. A great film for the serious thinker and casual movie viewer alike. Deserves its R rating.
Rating:
Summary: Comedy = Tradgedy + Time
Review: Get a fresh box of facial tissues and a canister of pure oxygen for everyone in the audience before you hit the play button on this one! Tears will drain from your ducts and you will lose your breath. Lithium cannot control anyone's mood swings on this wild ride. Warning: Expect ultra-rapid cycles of intense amusement to intense sadness... This film tackles tough teenage issues like acceptance by your peers, as well as, the lack of love and support, understanding and guidance, plus the positive recognition that should be provided by all parents. The lonliness in this environment is too intolerable for some to bear. Kudos for surviving these years! Heather Matarazzo's character represents each of us, whether in part, or full, so we are really drawn in by her. She pulls off a fabulous performance. As you may have noticed, this film is loved or hated by reviewers. These are VERY STRONG feelings that show everyone agrees you will be on an amazing ride. Todd Solondz conveys laughter and tears brilliantly; Ergo, 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' rates as a very successful, 5 star film...
Rating:
Summary: Hell is for children
Review: I watched much of Welcome to the Dollhouse in a cold sweat. Even the funny parts (and there are some truly funny moments) had me squirming. See, it's all very familiar. No matter what walk of life you are from, if you went to Jr. High, you knew these characters. Maybe, God forbid, you were one of them. Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo) is cursed from the beginning: she's at that gawky, awkward, in-between age - after the bliss of young childhood but before the self-assurance of young adulthood. Called "Wiener Dog" by her tormentors (who comprise nearly every other student at her school), she displays amazing pluck in the face of adversity. She's no victim in the classic sense; if does not precisely fight back, she doesn't just take it lying down, either. But there is a sad desperation in her, too. This film does not condescend - what happens to her is often tragic, and not diminished by the smaller scale of 7th-grade life. In fact, the name-calling, the insults, the petty violations, and the coldness - they seem that much more harrowing because her shoulders are so narrow. Welcome to the Dollhouse does not develop along the lines of a traditional plot. It is episodic, told in a series of small, ironic events that form a mosaic of life in the abyss of Jr. High School. It is woven together remarkably well, with painfully honest performances by the entire cast, a perceptive screenplay, and sly, restrained direction by Todd Solondz. There are no Big Moments, just lots of little ones that collectively add up. Ultimately, this film is a Rorschach test: you get from it what you bring to it. If you had shallow, selfish parents like Dawn's, or if you were a tormentor, or a victim, or lived on the wrong side of the tracks, or the right side, there is a character who represents you; there is a moment that will unexpectedly reveal an awful truth about your own childhood. The brightness at the center of this bitter, angry satire may be that the awful truth can, indeed, set you free.
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