Over the course of the film Dawn experiences an overwhelming crush on her older brother’s hunky friend, the tearing down of her clubhouse for The Special People’s Club, the kidnapping and comic recovery of her little sister, and the aggressive and threatening affections of her first boyfriend.Īdmirable Qualities: Welcome to the Dollhouse, though described as a dark comedy, is not a heartwarming, happy film. Besides suffering the miseries of school, at home Dawn is also the black sheep, stuck between a nerdy, driven older brother and a beautiful, charming, ballerina for a little sister. Nicknamed “Wienerdog” by her classmates, Dawn spends much of the movie being made fun of mercilessly by her classmates. Pedestal Profile: In Welcome to the Dollhouse we follow Dawn Wiener, an endearing loner, as she navigates the minefields of life in junior high. This week I’d like to take it back to 1996 with Dawn Wiener, the 7th grade martyr from Todd Solondz’ Welcome to the Dollhouse. Welcome back to Pop Pedestal, the series where we pay homage to our favorite characters in pop culture.
