Welcome to the Dollhouse (1996)

In the turbulent seas of seventh grade at Benjamin Franklin Junior High School, we find our protagonist, Dawn Wiener, dog paddling against the current of social outcast status. Branded with the cruel nickname 'Wiener-Dog', Dawn is a lonesome island in an ocean of adolescent mockery and derision. Her quest for acceptance is a treacherous path, even the other social pariahs steering clear of her, while her teachers appear to harbor a frosty disdain for her existence. At home, Dawn's life is a symphony of neglect, her parents showering affection on her younger sister, Missy, a ballerina princess in the making, and her older brother, Mark, a studious nerd with college dreams. Lost in the familial shadow, Dawn lashes out at Missy, mirroring the bullying tactics inflicted on her at school, a desperate cry for attention that only lands her in deeper water with her parents. Desperate for social acceptance, Dawn finds herself drawn to her primary school bully, Brandon McCarthy, a rough-hewn boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is disturbingly intent on intimidating her. Her fixation on Brandon starts to wane when Mark enlists the help of Steve Rodgers, a popular older student, for his fledgling band. Steve, unlike the rest, doesn't shun her, and Dawn finds herself nurturing an innocent crush, dreaming of Steve becoming her boyfriend. However, life doesn't pause for teenage angst. Just as Dawn begins to tread water, her world threatens to capsize. She faces heartbreak when her feelings for the older band member go unrequited, her parents plot to demolish her 'Special People's Club' haven, and her sister mysteriously disappears. It's a stormy voyage for Dawn Weiner, in the unforgiving whirlpool of adolescence known as the seventh grade. Welcome to the Dollhouse, where survival is anything but child's play.

Welcome to the Dollhouse is a comedy movie featuring Heather Matarazzo.

Welcome to the Dollhouse is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Tubi TV.

It is also possible to buy Welcome to the Dollhouse on Amazon Video and Apple TV.