Todd Solondz's 1996 film "Welcome to the Dollhouse" was a breakthrough indie smash that became one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the 90's. The reason? The film unflinchingly examined life for middle school children and said what no other film on the subject had said before: middle school fucking sucked. It sucked for every kid who went through it. Even the "popular" ones. I remember all too vividly just how painful and awkward school was back then; hell I remember just how awkward I was back then. I certainly remember how cruel the kids were, and I remember how they made going to school frightening and difficult. I projected the vibes of a victim and weakling who wouldn't say or do anything back to them. Dawn Wiener, the main character of the film, is almost the same way. Although she had quality that I never had back then: she's resilient in spite of her extreme awkwardness.
Dawn is played perfectly by a young Heather Matarazzo, she stands awkwardly still, she observes thinks with an intensly weird stare that probably makes everyone around her uncomfortable. She dresses in a painfully dorky manner like so many kids I remember from back then. Her glasses have an unfortunate effect on her face that make her cheeks and mouth seem puffy and "off". If she retained those qualities through high school and in to her college years she'd be quietly labeled a "creeper" and then she would be left alone. But in middle school those qualities make her an easy target for relentless torture and humiliation at the hands of her fellow students. In fact in one scene the entire student body derides her with the nickname "Wiener dog" while she attempts to give a speech. The torture, unfortunately, doesn't end at school for Dawn. Her mother is a vindictive bitch, her father barely notices her, her little sister is a perfect ballerina who gets all the attention, and her older brother is a nerd who gets all the good grades.
In an attempt to boost his extracurricular activities, her brother forms a band and convinces a hunky and popular senior named Steve Rodgers (Eric Mabius) to be their front man. Steve is polite enough, but he's also a cold womanizer who, according to Dawn's brother, "would do it with any girl as long as they go all the way". Dawn instantly falls in love, and she's so eager to impress Steve that she seriously considers giving herself to him even though she's woefully ignorant about sex. For example, when a girl in her grade informs Dawn that she and Eric finger fucked, Dawn - who barely knows the implications of the word "fuck" - mistakes which person does the fucking. In an awkwardly funny scene, she butters up Steve with fishticks and Hawaiian Punch and then asks him if he likes her fingers.
Outside of Steve there are two other "guys" in Dawn's life. One is a vicious bully named Brandon (Brendan Sexton III) whose anti-social behavior masks his sensitive, human heart. The other is Ralphy, a fifth grader who is commonly called a "faggot" by the other characters in the movie. When the kids use words like "faggot" or "lesbo" (which they certainly did when I was in middle school) it's not so much homophobic as it is a way to make the awkward kids feel even more alienated than they already are. Middle school kids tend to use lots of words that they don't fully understand. When Dawn wishes to fight back against Brandon, she calls him a retard. Then when Brandon tells Dawn that he's going to "rape" her, it doesn't quite have the effect he intended. Dawn is both desperate for some form of acceptance and rather ignorant of the ramifications and consequences of rape. After all, it's not rape if you're willing. When the time comes, Brandon simply explains to Dawn why he is deeply hurt when people call him a "retard": his brother is mentally handicapped.
A lot of this movie is very funny, but the laughs are deliciously mean spirited. For example, Dawn's perfect little sister Missy often prances around in her tutu while the Nutcracker Suite plays on the soundtrack. Then something happens to Missy that would be disturbing and dramatic in another film, but since Solondz blares the Nutcracker Suite during the scene it becomes funny in a very twisted way. In an early scene, Dawn tries to stick up for a nerd who is being beat up by bullies. When she asks if he's OK what's his reply? "Get away from me Weiner dog!"
This is hands down one of the most accurate depictions of early adolescence I've ever seen. Middle school was not a joyful time for most kids. It was mean, harsh, and confusing. Their bodies were changing in unexpected ways and for the first time they would be exposed to some of the darkest impulses in human nature. Most parents would probably think that this film is inappropriate for middle school children. On the contrary, this film will resonate with them far more deeply than the Hannah Montana movie. Whether parents like it or not, this is how middle school kids talk, think, and act. Trust me, I remember.
10/10
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