I'm convinced they got Napoleon Dynamite from this.
The main characters even have a similar facial expression. This is a more depressing less surreal Napoleon Dynamite.
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Yes, it's definitely a ripoff of Welcome to the Dollhouse. (I write about this here: https://moviechat.org/tt0374900/Napoleon-Dynamite/5df3bd785a4a9154f8b96b14/This-is-just-a-more-a-superficial-upbeat-ripoff-of-Welcome-to-the-Dollhouse
) It felt like the brainchild of a studio executive saying, "Hey, let's do a more positive funny version of this movie, except with a dorky guy."