An awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jerse... Read allAn awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.An awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 17 nominations
Brendan Sexton III
- Brandon McCarthy
- (as Brendan Sexton Jr.)
Dimitri DeFresco
- Ralphy
- (as Dimitri Iervolino)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaHeather Matarazzo later said that this movie, and especially the scene where her classmates call her character a "lesbo", made her aware of her own homosexuality. She stated that at the time, she didn't even know what lesbo meant, but after doing some research, she realized: "Oh my God! That's what I am, a lesbian!" However, due to her Catholic upbringing, she later felt "apologetic, ashamed, secretive", and it took her nine more years before she was comfortable enough to officially come out.
- GoofsWhen Steve is Singing "Welcome to the Dollhouse", his lip movements do not match up with the words when the scene is up close of him about to finish the song. this is due to another actor dubbing his singing voice.
- Quotes
Mark Weiner: All of junior high school sucks. High school's better; it's closer to college. They'll call you names, but not as much to your face.
Featured review
The Worst Years of Our Lives....
"Welcome to the Dollhouse" is a feel-bad movie with little to make most viewers smile. It's depressing, awful and painful to watch. It's also incredibly insightful and incredibly well made.
Heather Matarazzo stars as Dawn, a miserable kid who just began middle school. She's not particularly pretty, nor talented nor self- assured. The other kids are incredibly nasty and take full advantage of her insecurities, her teacher could use euthanizing and her mother is a complete jerk...and as a result Dawn is depressed and lost. The film follows her during part of the school year and by the end, her life still seems to suck...just as much as when the film began.
So why do I give this miserable film an 8? Well, writer/director Todd Solondz really understands kids this age...and most Hollywood films completely get kids this age wrong! They usually make them too smart, too self-aware and too happy...which is great if you are a movie star but not reality. Here, however, Solondz explores what life can be like for kids who feel like outsiders...which is incredibly tough at that age. The only negative is that there really is no ending to this story...Dawn is still miserable, her mother still is a terrible parent and things look like it's just going to be more of the same. But wow...what an incredibly well made little film!
Heather Matarazzo stars as Dawn, a miserable kid who just began middle school. She's not particularly pretty, nor talented nor self- assured. The other kids are incredibly nasty and take full advantage of her insecurities, her teacher could use euthanizing and her mother is a complete jerk...and as a result Dawn is depressed and lost. The film follows her during part of the school year and by the end, her life still seems to suck...just as much as when the film began.
So why do I give this miserable film an 8? Well, writer/director Todd Solondz really understands kids this age...and most Hollywood films completely get kids this age wrong! They usually make them too smart, too self-aware and too happy...which is great if you are a movie star but not reality. Here, however, Solondz explores what life can be like for kids who feel like outsiders...which is incredibly tough at that age. The only negative is that there really is no ending to this story...Dawn is still miserable, her mother still is a terrible parent and things look like it's just going to be more of the same. But wow...what an incredibly well made little film!
helpful•291
- planktonrules
- Sep 19, 2016
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $800,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,569,019
- Gross worldwide
- $4,569,882
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