Welcome to the Dollhouse main backdrop
Welcome to the Dollhouse main poster

Welcome to the Dollhouse

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7.1/10 • 464

1995-09-101h 28m

ComedyDrama

Not all girls want to play with dolls.

An unattractive 7th grader struggles to cope with suburban life as the middle child with inattentive parents and bullies at school.

Directors
Todd Solondz
Editors
Alan Oxman

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Heather Matarazzo

    Heather Matarazzo

    Dawn Wiener

  2. Brendan Sexton III

    Brendan Sexton III

    Brandon McCarthy

  3. Eric Mabius

    Eric Mabius

    Steve Rodgers

  4. Matthew Faber

    Matthew Faber

    Mark Wiener

  5. Daria Kalinina

    Daria Kalinina

    Missy Wiener

  6. Angela Pietropinto

    Angela Pietropinto

    Mrs. Weiner

  7. Bill Buell

    Bill Buell

    Mr. Wiener

  8. Will Lyman

    Will Lyman

    Mr. Edwards

  9. Rica Martens

    Rica Martens

    Mrs. Grissom

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 25, 2024

7/10

Well if you were ever in doubt about the fallacies of the "American dream" then you need look no further than the life of the young and rather unfortunately named "Dawn Wiener" (Heather Matarazzo). Her life with her geeky brother "Mark" (Matthew Faber) is comfortable enough, but her parents aren't really that interested in her and she is bullied at school by "Brandon" (Brendan Sexton). Her brother has a garage band and it's fronted by the dashing "Steve" (Eric Mabius) in whom she has an almighty crush. Of course she is too young to realise that were he to reciprocate in any way he'd be sent to jail! As so often happens with those who are picked on, she starts to pick on someone else - her little sister "Missy" (Daria Kalinina) and this earns her the annoyance of her family. Feeling adrift and rather abandoned, she begins to seek a bit of solace with her tormentor whilst never quite giving up on her older, would-be, beau - but what can come of any of this? Matarazzo does well here, offering us a gently honest interpretation of a child who is not unloved, just unnoticed. She presents us with a vulnerable character whom you would expect to spend her entire life overlooked, living in the same town for a life unhappily married to a local plumber. Sexton is also quite engaging as the outwardly aggressive and brutish character whom, as we get to know him, is actually not in a wildly dissimilar boat to "Dawn". It's got some soul to it and that, and a certain simplicity, makes for a plausible observation of a life destined to remain, at best, in the slow lane.

Media

  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster
  • Welcome to the Dollhouse poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$800,000.00
Revenue
$5,034,794.00
Keywords
sibling relationshipnew jerseyparent child relationshipmockeryuglinessdark comedybullyingcoming of agemisfitlittle girlsuburbjunior high schoolschool life