Welcome to pain...should be listed as a horror film I thought this movie was awful on so many levels, I can't even list them all. This is the story of Dawn Wiener, the biggest loser in 7th grade, whom everyone picks on. She is abused by her classmates, her parents, her teachers, her brother, her sister...basically the whole world hates her. She pretty much hates herself, too. She does not change, nor can any change for Dawn be hoped for. She dresses unattractively (and like a 6 year-old), wears ugly glasses, and acts really annoying and nerdy. Anybody thought of giving this poor girl a makeover and therapist? How about just some contact lenses? No, because that would alleviate the suck-fest.
The really awful thing here is the degree of negativity of this film, and the way Dawn just "takes it." For instance, when the class bully, Brandon, tells her he's going to "rape her"...she accepts it. WHY? You want to pity Dawn, but it's also kind of like feeling sorry for a homeless alcoholic person. On one level, it's a tragedy. On the other level, it's hopeless.
Where is the justice in this film? When is this character going to change? Otherwise, why should we care about her? Turns out, the world is nasty. And Dawn can be pretty nasty, too.
The movie has an unusually blatant disrespect for its characters, I think, in this way. It's a lot like watching a punching bag getting used. What is the point here? That junior high school is miserable and life is unfair? WE ALREADY KNOW THAT, HELLO! Do we need it rubbed in our faces. And then the movie tries to be funny? Where's the lesson? Otherwise, just give me some pathetic family's home videos and call it "Welcome to the Dollhouse," which is basically the equivalent of watching this film.
And since when was a little girl's kidnapping funny? (I'm referring to the mother drama-queening her way at the dinner table while "Swan Lake" plays in the background). And then, turns out the kid enjoyed her kidnapping. Much of this film is disturbing.
At least in a film like "Napoleon Dynamite," which looks like a cousin to this film, you have some satisfying redemption. It's not even revenge, but at least it's a character earning some respect, even on his own terms. We think Napoleon is funny in his own quirky, harmless way. That's a movie that actually cares about its characters, even if they're not ready to change.