Welcome to the Dollhouse

Rating:
Summary: realism that will make you flinch
Review: Welcome to the dollhouse can be considered a contemporary classic merely for the awful truth that what is in the film is real. Kids ARE as mean in this movie as in real life and school rarely ever resembles Saved by the Bell. The humour in this film is black as pitch and the director has perfected the sense of irony. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Scathing, smart and original.
Review: Todd Solondz' 1995 Indie Welcome to the Dollhouse is a delicious rarity. Centering around the miseries of early pubescence, the film intorduces us to Dawn Weiner (Heather Matazzaro), an underwhelming suburban New Jersey teen whose life is an adolescent nightmare. Bullied, unpopular and plain, Dawn is the epitome of Jr. high awkwardness who manages to survive with a certain verve. Always on target, Welcome to the Dollhouse is a scathing commentary on suburbia. The film's humor is dark and biting, sometimes disturbing. Solondz' depicition of suburban New Jersey seems reminiscent of John Waters' Baltimore. Heather Matarazzo gives an exceptional performance as the underdog heroine. She can communicate volumes with looks. Best of all is the subtle eerie deja vu that comes from the film. Welcome to the Dollhouse is a smart film that wants its audience to squirm a little. The uneasiness one may experiece watching the film comes from the empathy of having been though puberty. This may not digest well with some, but is a perfect reminder of why we wouldn't want to go back and do it all over again.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Dollhouse Captures the Akwardness We All Face
Review: I do have to admit I first rented Welcome To the Dollhouse just because of the picture on the front cover. I didn't even bother to read the back. But from the second it started I was hooked. I myself faced much trauma in junior high. In fact I was still in junior high when I saw it. I related somewhat to the difficulties Dawn faces. To anyone that was ever picked it gives you a chance to laugh and for those you who are the tormenters it shows what jerks you can be. All I have to say now is RENT or BUY it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Creative and Realistic
Review: While watching this film, I was reminded of the trying times one has in a junior high school setting. I remember how awful children can be to one another and just how devistating little things can be to children. I liked the fact that there was no happy ending. About Brandon, the bully with the mean, tough exterior but a soft and sensitive interior, I believe that this character was played very well, but he was a little cliche and stereotypical of boys of this age. Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies for more than just entertainment and to see pretty faces, but are willing to have a little mental stimulation. Excellent movie!

Rating:
Summary: A foot-dragging film that wallows in despair
Review: What in God's name was going through Todd Solondz's head when he made this? I kept imagining the film would get better and the plot would pick up, but it just drags on and on. Anyone who likes it is either sick in the head, or has an IQ of 60. Just because a film is realistic doesn't have to mean it's bad.

Rating:
Summary: In my all time Top 5 films
Review: In all honesty, this is possibly the greatest film made about growing up, ever. The best part about this movie is when you laugh, you realize you shouldn't be. It realizes how horrible it is being 12 and 13 years old, and how when you're that young you never feel like you can escape. As a wanna-be film critic, I really feel that Todd Solondz made a movie that is one of the Top 10 movies of the 1990's. The direction of this movie is brilliant, and the acting is wonderful as well. All in all, Welcome to the Dollhouse is a true American horror story, and an excellent movie.

Rating:
Summary: DEPRESSING, BUT SOMEHOW SO WONDERFUL
Review: 'WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE' IS ABOUT A SEVENTH GRADE GIRL WHOSE CLASSMATES CALL HER "WEINERDOG". THERE IS ONE GIRL WHO TORMENTS HER IN THE GIRL'S BATHROOM WHO LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE TAYLOR HANSON!! ANYWAY, DAWN WEINER BRAVELY STRUGGLES ON, THROUGH PROBLEMS WITH BOYS AND HER FAMILY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE, BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYTHING BY TODD SOLONDZ.

Rating:
Summary: touching, funny, depressing, jr.high blues
Review: the first time you watch this you may think, "What's the point?" The second time you see the subtle touches of humor. The third time you realize that to give everything a happy ending would be unrealistic, especially in world of school in the States. Dawn Wiener is the underdog of the NJ suburbs and you enter her world of cruel girls, drug-smuggling boys and the clubhouse where she seeks shelter from her insensitive parents and bratty sister. watch it!

Rating:
Summary: it was really great
Review: the first time i saw this movie i was confused on whether i hated it or loved, but i watched it again and soon came to love it. it's really great and funny, a good movie to buy.

Rating:
Summary: just might be a modern-day classic
Review: this is a masterful look at the terrible and wonderful landscape of middle school from a ground zero perspective.It completely drew me in. The director makes it look easy as he assembles and inspires a flawless cast. The flow of the film is exceptional; it is a smooth but continually surprising journey through a rich slice of life. See this film.