This coming-of-age film follows the misadventures of Dawn Wiener (Heather Matarazzo), a somewhat unattractive girl, as she fumbles her way through 7th grade. Her parents favor their younger, more attractive daughter, Missy (Daria Kalinina). Her classmates call her “Wienerdog”, and her attempts to fight back when persecuted get her in trouble with the school authorities, while those that torment her go unpunished.
When her nerdy brother Mark (Matthew Faber) recruits local bad-boy Steve Rogers (Eric Mabius) into his band — because he’s popular and might gain the band some recognition — Dawn feels her first tinges of sexuality. She’s attracted to him instantly and tries to get his attention by playing the piano for him and making him lunch. He responds by stealing money from her house and ignoring her in favor of her sister.
When the school bully, Brandon (Brendan Sexton III), tells her he is going to “rape” her after school, she is frightened, but curious. Her fire’s been lit by Steve and here is a boy who wants to show her some attention is what I guess she’s thinking. Anyway, Brandon doesn’t rape her, he merely kisses her. Of course, Brandon tells her that she can never tell anyone what happened. He’s got an image to protect.
Image is very important in 7th grade. Dawn’s image is that of a geeky girl and she is picked-on because of it. Welcome to the Dollhouse effectively conveys that fear of geekiness that every 7th grader has felt at one time or another. Unfortunately, the film falters in a few key areas that keep it from being a must-see film.
Although the performances are, for the most part, excruciatingly honest, some of the characters are dealt with in a manner that makes you want to know more about them. The film doesn’t deliver much in the way of explanation to flesh them out just a bit more. I would have liked to have known, merely for the sake of knowing, whether Dawn was ever popular before her recent geekiness or if her family just moved into town. Dawn’s only friend, who is regularly called a “faggot,” seems to be an interesting character, but we only see him for a few moments and he’s discarded after the second act.
The film over-extends itself in the latter part by having a member of Dawn’s family kidnapped and Dawn trying to make amends with the family by being a hero. It doesn’t quite work and dilutes the impact of the first part of the film.
Still, Welcome to the Dollhouse is worth renting if you’ve ever had a desire to relive those pre-teen years of junior high. If you have ever had delusions that those were the best years of your life, this movie will make you remember what REALLY happened.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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