X
- 1996
- PG
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
- 1996
- PG
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
Summary Story of a wonderful little girl, who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher vs. the worst parents ever and the worst school principal imaginable.
Directed By: Danny DeVito
Written By: Roald Dahl, Nicholas Kazan, Robin Swicord
- 1996
- PG
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
- 1996
- PG
- TriStar Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
Matilda
72
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary Story of a wonderful little girl, who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher vs. the worst parents ever and the worst school principal imaginable.
Directed By: Danny DeVito
Written By: Roald Dahl, Nicholas Kazan, Robin Swicord
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
72
95% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
72
95% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A delightfully twisted fairy tale that artfully juggles broad tomfoolery and sly drollery, along with a generous serving of sight gags enhanced by special effects. Even though it's being pitched primarily at younger moviegoers and their parents, pic is exuberantly quirky enough to please almost anyone.
The contrast of light and dark, good and evil, enlightenment and ignorance, innocence and corruption is the heart of this absurd, insightful, sincere, very funny fairy tale of a movie. The cast is uniformly superb.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 64 User Ratings
7.5
81% Positive
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
11% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
8% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 64 User Ratings
7.5
81% Positive
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
11% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
8% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Matilda is a heartwarming and amusing movie based on the novel by Roald Dahl. The film follows the story of a young girl named Matilda Wormwood, who possesses extraordinary powers and has a vivid imagination. Matilda had to take care of herself from when she could walk because of her neglectful parents, leaving her to seek her comfort, happiness and refuge in books. Thus, she learned a lot beyond her age. For example: In the movie, Matilda had to make her own pancakes for breakfast because her parents were not at home; her father left to sell used cars at unfair prices and her mother went to play bingo, leaving only soup on the stove in case Matilda got hungry. However, Matilda’s life changes when she discovers her telekinetic power when forced to watch TV with the family by her father. Unbeknownst to her, the very next day, her father enrolls her in his new client school, Crunchem Hall Elementary School. The school is run by a **** figure, Miss Trunchbull Agatha, who is ruthlessly cruel and merciless towards the children. For instance, during her weekly classroom visits, Miss Trunchbull showed teachers how to handle kids, but when a boy named Julius Rottwinkle ate two M&M’s during her lesson, she threw him out of the window. On the other hand, Matilda’s teacher, Miss Honey, is a kind-hearted person who does her best to protect the kids from Miss Truncbull’s cruelty. For example: Miss Honey demonstrated care and kindness by taking out Amana Tripp’s braids and speaking warmly to her class, including introducing Matilda as if she were her own student. Throughout the movie, Miss Honey and Matilda form a teacher-student relationship which evolves into a close bond, and in the end, they become like a mother and daughter. Miss Honey reveals her painful past and her connection to Miss Trunchbull, but with Matilda’s help, she is able to regain her family home and her father’s money while also getting rid of Miss Trunchbull from the school and their lives. In the movie’s conclusion, Miss Honey requests Matilda’s parents to sign adoption papers, giving Matilda a happy ending.
Moreover, I love the movie Matilda because it has a family, comedy, humor and fantasy genre, making it enjoyable for both children and adults. It is heartwarming and touching, and the comedy made my stomach hurt from laughing. Furthermore, the movie addresses real-life issues such as abuse, neglect, and bullying, which are important themes that Matilda handles with a deft touch, not shying away from their realities. What’s more is that Matilda has won numerous awards, ranging from Best Performance by a Younger Actor to Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film, proving its popularity with the whole nation. That’s why I chose to write my movie review on Matilda, as it is one of my favorite films that I’ve watched many times.
Overall, Matilda is a delightful and fascinating movie that people of all ages should watch and re-watch because of its great performances and humor, making it a must-see film.
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absolutely amazing movie for the year, it was released. It was the characters motives and their overarching plot points that really sold me on its creativity. This a 'every person' movie and the thought process of it being a 'girls only' movie really doesn't make sense. Its inflection can be used for anybody at this age and doesn't have to be overshadowed by its main character. The main character Matilda breaks the ideology of "what if". The ideas and direction this movie takes are certainly interesting. "Being" is only a part of the human experience and if you can make it something you know with your imagination, then you can do anything you set your mind to.
Matilda's psychic abilities prove powerful enough to make the worst situation a better one overall. If you liked Matilda, you'll enjoy another movie: Coraline. Matilda gets a 10/10
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A sprightly fairy tale full of darkness and delight from seemingly unlikely movie collaborators: author Roald Dahl and director-star Danny DeVito.
Clearly, a lot of grown-up types are going to despise Matilda: gym teachers, school psychologists, used-car salesmen, critics who like their family fare immobilized by homiletic virtue. But kids will understand.
Matilda, the funny new children's film directed by and starring Danny DeVito, takes that alter-family and creates a real-life fairy tale. Frequent use of vibrant colors like magenta and chartreuse, combined with unflattering camera angles and bizarre characters, give the action an unreal quality, like the land of Oz. [02 Aug 1996, p.B01]
Danny DeVito may not be the right man to be directing Dahl. The filmmaker who gave us The War of the Roses and Throw Momma From the Train doesn't have the lightest of touches. There's a streak of meanness in his films that can be explosively funny for short stretches, but gets tiring over the long haul. That's the case again with Matilda. [02 Aug 1996, p.F5]
Matilda is a blackly comic, delightfully off-the-wall picture that both kids and adults will lap up.
Not awful, but sometimes this movie has bad acting and the special effects seem cheap. This movie isn’t bad, but it could have been better.
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very stupid movie, I even never laughed, because all the scenes were so unrealistic.
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rude movie, annoying and irresponsible child, just wants revenge, I've never seen the movie where it encourages evil
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Production Company
TriStar Pictures,
Jersey Films
Release Date Aug 2, 1996
Duration 1 h 38 m
Rating PG
Tagline A little magic goes a long way.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 3 Nominations
Young Artist Awards
• 2 Nominations
YoungStar Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
