The best days of your life? (Welcome To The Dollhouse (DVD))

Member Name: Chev

Product:	Welcome To The Dollhouse (DVD)
Date:	05/09/01 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb acting from relative unknowns, excellent script, Todd Solondz is the man

Disadvantages: Perhaps a little too dark in parts for some

As a huge, huge fan of Todd Solondz's 'Happiness'(1998), I thought it my duty to track down his critically acclaimed earlier piece 'Welcome To The Dollhouse', a film which he wrote and directed - much as with 'Happiness'. Popularly mistaken as his directorial debut, (this was in fact 1989's 'Fear, Anxiety & Depression), 'Welcome To The Dollhouse' was Solondz's second movie, and was at various stages of filming also known by the names of 'Middle Child' and 'Faggots and Retards' - I wonder why they decided to drop the latter?

This is the story of Dawn Wiener - played to perfection by young Heather Matarazzo - a girl who doesn't quite fit in, and feels like the whole world is plotting against her. Her parents don't hide the fact that they prefer annoying little sister Missy, older brother Mark won't let her hang out with his good looking band-mate Steve, and worst of all life in the seventh grade is turning out to be a living hell. Villified by her New Jersey classmates, nicknamed "the wienerdog" and classed as a "lesbo" by turn, 11 year old Dawn is having a tough time of it. Her decision to stick up for herself against rough local boy Brandon doesn't go exactly as planned - he responds by promising to rape her before the day is through. And all poor Dawn wants is for someone to join the "Special Persons Club" she's set up with young Ralphy from next door...

Solondz's exploration of the nightmare that is early adolescence is admirably unsentimental, and a sterling set of performances from a cast of unknowns do his perceptive script real justice. Matarazzo in particular is one to watch out for - she is destined for big things.

Weighing in at 88 minutes, this is hardly an epic time-wise, but an hour and a half is ample time for Dawn's story to be told and problems resolved. Any longer would perhaps have been stretching it -
as it is this is a nice short film that doesn't outstay its welcome.

'Welcome To The Dollhouse' is further example of Solondz's uniquely dark, comic yet ultimately dramatic take on life and is a true gem. (See 1998's Happiness for a real step up in darkness however) This is a genuine must-see for all of us who have survived those rocky early teenage years and come through battle-scarred but stronger for it.

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