I lost interest in Todd Solondz sometime around Storytelling. Welcome to the Dollhouse was such a wonderful but painfully examination honest look at adolescence and Happiness was so disturbing, yet compelling. His later work seemed to lack heart, and serve only to shock. When Solondz’ newest film Life During Wartime was announced almost two years ago, I didn’t pay much attention.  Originally the film was said to be a “kind of sequel to — or riff on — ‘Happiness’, and to some extent ‘Welcome to the Dollhouse’.”
“Many of the characters from these movies unexpectedly beckoned to me, and so I have explored new ways of developing and enlarging their stories, [...]

Before he has a chance to get started on those two new Pee Wee Herman movies he’s been promising for years now (like those will ever happen), Paul Reubens will be featured in Todd Solondz’ new movie in a dramatic role.
When I hear the name Todd Solondz, I think of his quirky earlier films Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness. His last two efforts (Storytelling, Palindromes) weren’t nearly as good. But we’re made it a point to try to forget they ever happened. And many people probably forget that Reubens has been on the comeback trail for some time now. And I think he did rather good in Ted Demme’s [...]