Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

dir Todd Solondz

Originally watched on June 6, 2026.

Fuck, man. This is such a good movie but it’s such a tough watch. It’s one of those ones that gets weirder with every rewatch too, I think. The first time I really loved it, but I also didn’t have any expectations or know what to think at all. Heather Matarazzo is fabulous as Dawn Wiener, but it’s crazy to think that she was literally a child filming this. I mean, being a kid is really like this, but it still feels weird to think about the logistics. What did 12 or 13 year old Heather make of all this? Was it relatable for her? Was it normal?

Great Eric Mabius moment, with his sexy long hair and everything. I’ve only seen him in The L Word and Splendor, both pieces where he’s supposed to be seen as attractive but (in my opinion) totally misses the mark. Here though, I can see the vision. Ok, Eric. Great hair. And great original songs. Welcome to the Dollhouse really rocks. Shoutout to Jill Wisoff, who also gave us Sweet Candy. Both really great tracks.

I’ll leave you with this: do you think that Roger Ebert would’ve still given this film 4/4 stars if Solondz had gone with the working title, Faggots and Retards?