User reviews

I am 33 years old while I am writing these words, and I must admit I am fully enjoyed watching this movie despite this movie was made for kids and despite my age as I referred in the beginning. every thing was perfect . the simple wonderful story , the great acting specially from MARA , that was amazing , that's a kind of movies we are missing these days . my advice to all go watch this , you will not regret.

7/10

'Matilda' is something of a guilty pleasure for me and I'm sure I'm not the only fully-grown adult who finds this film hilarious. It's a kids film through and through, but I've always found it very funny and can never resist putting it on when I see it flicking through the channels.

The main reason I find this film so enjoyable is the eccentric characters. Matilda's parents are hilarious but, like everybody else, my favourite is headmistress Miss Trunchball. She is without doubt one of the best and most entertaining characters in any kids/family movie.

'Matilda' is a classic kids film with a fun story and some ridiculously over-the-top characters. I can't help but find this film hugely enjoyable and would recommend it to people of all ages with a good sense of humour!

Hi hi!

Danny DeVito touches on the viewpoint of children - and their imaginations - in this fantasy come to life: MATILDA.

Who of us as children didn't see the world in the powerful images of youthful, innocent eyes? The horrific Agatha Trunchbull, the kindly librarian, Mrs. Phelps? The annoying big brother 'Mikey', or the wondrous, perfect teacher, Miss Honey? Who of us as children didn't see that some things in life were wrong and wanted to put them right - if only we had magic powers!

Life as a child is fantastic and happy and exciting and scary. And in MATILDA we see all elements of childhood shine through by the intentionally ridiculous, over-the-top performances of Danny DeVito (Matilda's Dad), Rhea Perlman (Mom), and Pam Ferris (Ms. Trunchbull, the principal).

And yes, there is a scary element to the movie: The chase in Ms. Trunchbull's house; the "Chokey"; the spooky scene of Matilda taking back "Lizzie Doll" from Ms. Trunchbull while "haunting" her house. But this is the scariness of youth; shown from a safe distance for even the young audience. And despite the scariness - which kids KNOW exists - Matilda and Miss Honey and all their friends are victorious. Danny DeVito has demonstrated a lesson well-learned from the Disney animated films of yesteryear: The more evil the villain, the more noble and victorious the heroine.

To miss seeing MATILDA is to miss a heart-warming, hand-clapping, magical trip back to your childhood fantasies and ideals.

1998, I had to endure watching this on repeat because my little brother was obsessed with it. I was young , I don't think I appreciated it enough.

Skip ahead to the present day , I'm 37 and my own child is now watching it non stop and is obsessed with it. Being older I finally understand what the fuss is all about. I love the film and watch it as many times as my child does. Know every line word for Word. 22 or so years will do that to You.

Unlike so many "kid's" movies, this is a film that can be watched and enjoyed by adults too. An amusing fantasy drawn from the work of a master author, this tale provides young girls with a true hero. Definitely worth a watch with your kids - they understand what 'fantasy' means in film-making, even if the adults can't seperate it from reality. 7/10

Really enjoyable. Have watched this multiple times. Feel good family film. Good performances.

My daughters (ranging from age 9-16) have loved this movie for several years. I am normally a very sensitive person and wasn't disturbed by the macabre tone of the movie. Somehow the movie remains upbeat as Matilda is able to find someone who will love her even though her parents don't appreciate her. Young Mara Wilson shines as Matilda. Each time I watch this I am amazed at her talents at such a young age. I haven't heard of her making any films lately...I hope this is by her own choice.

In addition, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Pam Ferris, and Embeth Davidtz all were wonderful in their roles as Matilda's parents, principal and teacher, respectively. I have read the book, and yes, it is different as far as the setting goes, but in my opinion, they've kept the main ideas quite intact. Movies are almost never the same as books, because by definition they can't be. We have enjoyed watching this as a family for at least 5 years now and will continue to. I just wish they'd release a special edition DVD with COMMENTARY. I'd love to hear from Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman about the making of this someday classic movie. At least it is in my family. My criterion for a classic? We are constantly quoting its script to each other.

UPDATE: They DID release a special edition. It does have some fine extras, but I have to wonder why in the world didn't they offer a widescreen edition? That is a big disappointment.

Roald Dahl's short story for children was produced and adapted for the screen by Danny DeVito who also stars in it along with his wife in real life Rhea Perlman. They play the parents of Matilda, a child they neglect with some amazing powers and resourcefulness.

The British origins of the story are unmistakable even though the location is in America with DeVito in that most American of occupations, a used car dealer. DeVito is typical of the breed and Perlman is from the Peg Bundy school for mothers. Young Matilda played by Mara Wilson has learned to be resourceful on her own.

When her parents finally send her to school she meets up with a real adult friend and a real adult enemy. She meets an empathetic teacher in Ms. Honey played by Embeth Davidtz and a principal from the Buchenwald school of education in Pam Ferris.

Please note the Dickensian names for the characters. Ms. Honey is the good teacher, Matilda's parents are the Wormwoods and Ferris's principal has a really great character name in Agatha Trunchbull. There's something between Davidtz and Ferris, but I can't reveal that because it's part and parcel of the story.

Matilda ranks right up there with Dahl's other children's fantasies like Willy Wonka and James And The Giant Peach. Kids of all ages will admire Matilda's pluck and the hidden powers she possesses. And Ferris as Ms. Trunchbull will scare any kid.

Good Lord, she scared me.

This movie is an absolutely wonderful fantasy. I totally loved it.

The dialog is brilliant. The humor is both bold, and subtle. The characters are archetypal.

Matilda perfectly captures what it is like to be an intelligent person, trapped in the body of a child, and surrounded by idiots who control far too much of your life.

The notion that bad people (even adults) deserve to be punished for their evil ways (even by children) is truly subversive. Any child who suffered through the countless typical abuses of unthinking, uncaring, and ignorant parents will truly love this movie. Those same unthinking, uncaring, and ignorant parents will probably hate this movie, unless they are wise enough to see the truth behind the fantasy.

Despite the difficulties Matilda faces, like all good fantasies this movie has a wonderfully happy ending. I wish the same for all.

This is essentially a story geared for children, with a familiar theme that the kid is smarter than any adult, which has gotten tiresome in the last decade or two. Here, though, you can't take any of this seriously because everything is exaggerated so much it's like a pure fantasy-comedy story. Author Roald Dahl, as he did with Willy Wonka, liked to create exaggerated characters.

'Matilda' (Mara Wilson) has outrageous parents and a super-outrageous school principal. All of the, frankly, are fun to watch but, once again, it gives kids bad messages, such as (1) parents are no good; (2) authority figures are no good; (3) you be the boss, not the adult, etc. etc. I know this is an "exaggerated" wild story but those are irresponsible messages typical of filmmakers. You see them all the time.

The movie moves along at a good clip with few, if any, boring spots. It gets a bit carried away at the end, but most comedies are guilty of that. Summary: as the cliché goes, "fun for all ages."

I absolutely love this movie. It is dark, funny, charming and brooding, and captures the essence of the book perfectly. By the way, I love the book as well, and consider Roald Dahl one of the finest authors of children's books, look at the BFG for evidence. The whole film is beautifully photographed, looking lush and crisp. Mara Wilson gives a very spirited performance as Matilda. Sure she's not the same as Quentin Blake's illustrations, but I preferred the changes. Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman were great as the parents. As for Miss Honey, I have never seen Embeth Davidtz look so lovely, and that's the truth. Indisputetably, the acting honours go to Pam Ferris as the tyrannical Miss Trunchball. I have never seen that side of Pam Ferris, and in real life, she is not as ugly as they made her. The Bruce Bogtrotter scene was enough to make you feel sick for a week, and you don't feel that in the book. The added scenes like in Magnus's house was a nice touch, and I also loved how dark Devito made it, mixing a bit of humour too. And the music score is superb. Check it out! 10/10. Bethany Cox

Leave it to the warped mind of Danny DeVito to take a Roald Dahl book and adapt it into a very enjoyable children's film that has enough crazy fun for adults to watch as well. A very apparent passion project for him, DeVito stars as the father to the titular Matilda, the story's narrator, (which is a bit confusing since the father neglecting her is also the one telling the audience about what she is doing, but it's just the same voice, not the same character), and is the film's director, making sure his vision comes across. I'll admit to never having read a Dahl book, but I do generally enjoy the films made from them, (except the Burton Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). This one is no exception, as the heightened reality is played just tongue-in-cheek enough to stay cute while also having an edge of danger and eccentricity. Kids should love this little girl with powers and intellect, punishing her parents, and adults will enjoy the absurdity and fantastical elements, reminding them of a time when stories and fun ruled the day.

Who better to portray this savant's white trash, crooked parents than the unique pairing of real-life husband and wife team DeVito and Rhea Perlman? The two of them exude sleaze throughout, always trying to make their daughter into a true Wormwood, one who doesn't waste her time in books when she can get all the information she needs, quicker, by watching television. I mean, who would rather read Great Expectations when you can watch the Million Dollar Sticky game show? DeVito excels in roles like this, just put a salesman moustache on him and he's the conman stereotype you know and love, putting stolen car parts (how great are the packages wrapped in the shape of the part they are?) into cheap shells and making 200% profit. And Perlman is transformed into a shrill gaudy looking woman, so confident that her wardrobe and appearance are beautiful that the fact she looks like a ten-cent prostitute is even more entertaining. Her whiny voice and ability to laugh at her husband is priceless; I'd have gone to the library to Xerox adoption papers, just in case, as well if they were my guardians.

As far as the story goes, what at first just appears to be a hyper-reality—bright colors mixed with drab and dull sets, a precocious six-year-old making breakfast and going to the library herself to learn, and a very black and white delineation between good and evil—becomes so much more in the second half. Eventually Matilda learns that she has telekinetic powers; she can move things with her mind. This aspect brings the tale into even more of a fantasy world, but it works in spades, especially with the introduction of a new villain besides her parents, Agatha Trunchbull. This taskmaster of a school principal will not allow the children to learn anything creative. She is unafraid to throw a child into the next town with her super-strength, nor to berate anyone who crosses her path. With a revelatory relationship between this witch and Matilda's favorite teacher Miss Honey, the young girl does what she can to save her classmates from the abuse and intellectual prison they are being educated in.

This trio of actresses is at the core of the film's success. The always radiant Embeth Davidtz plays Miss Honey as a woman who wants change, going behind the back of her boss to attempt at teaching the children something good and wholesome, to get them to find their creativity. Very much a child herself, enjoying the simple things in life and just as afraid of Trunchbull as the children, her calm, shy demeanor is a perfect sidekick to Matilda's strong-willed older-than-her-years heroine. As far as Agatha Trunchbull goes, Pam Ferris is absolutely perfect. A DeVito favorite, (she is also in the classic Death to Smoochy), Ferris is witch incarnate. Possibly having killed her brother to take his mansion, she has oppressed her niece, kept everything sweet and nice for herself, and became a strong-woman with immense throwing ability. A formidable foe indeed, her scowl and heavy-hitting footsteps as she runs through her house trying to capture an intruder are so over-the-top that they work.

The true star, though, besides some great art direction, is young Matilda herself, Mara Wilson. Yes, that cute little girl with the lisp from Mrs. Doubtfire is the heroine of the film. Able to handle the appearance of a six-year-old while also acting like someone so much older, Wilson embodies the character three-dimensionally. The facial reactions when she is thinking what the narrator is telling us are perfect, her smile and sheer joy at helping herself and others, and the girlish voice saying such educated things all make for a role that little kids can watch and aspire to be. Because at the heart of this story is the message that no matter where you come from, no matter what hardships and obstacles stand in your way from being an important contributor to society, you can find a way to succeed. Maybe you shouldn't leave the house to explore the neighborhood at four-years-old or put peroxide in your father's hair-oil, but you get the idea.

Someone has commented in their review that this film is an insult to Roald Dahl. They are so right. The book Matilda is a beautiful story of girl lacking the love or acknowledgement she deserves. This film has none of the charm of the book, and takes gross liberties with the original text. The tale of love winning through over terror and poverty is completely lost, the wonderful characters are now compleatly unlikeable and there is really nothing to justify this film at all. Give it a miss.

personally, i hate nauseatingly cute family movies, but this movie is great! I went to see it in the theatre because i had read the book, but i thought that it wouldn't even come close to it. But you know what? I enjoyed this movie more than the novel! I thought it wouldn't be faithful to the book and that it would have turned out to be one of those typical kids' movies, but there's nothing "cute" about mrs. Trunchbull! This has got to be one of my favorite films ever and it IS the best childrens' movie ever made. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who has his heart in the right place!

Matilda is not without a certain charm, a charm that has you take to it come the death. You sense that children watching it will enjoy the way it depicts imperialistic grown ups implementing their rule upon young kids, of whom appear to think they know the way of the world, and then later failing to hold up said values as the tots, or singular 'tot', garner revenge and strives to put everything straight in the way they initially envisaged. There is enough to watch and get involved in, a Carrie-esque spin on what would normally be described as Disney does Kitchen Sink drama, as lowly people get in foggy circumstances and expressing their philistinism at any occasion they get - the Home Alone inspired finale does not do enough to extinguish what is a colourful comedy-drama about some rather delicate issues thrust through a tough blender.

True, the film is about a very young child getting their own way over certain adults; but when their respective 'own way' is as indelible and forward thinking as it is in Matilda, who's complaining about, or indeed accusing, the text of exuding disrespect towards superiors whilst neglecting authority? In the case of the Danny De Vito directed 1996 film Matilda, those adults are narcissistic parents and tyrannical head-teachers; head-teachers so stubborn that, in spite of the fact the film unfolds in America, make it so that the doors to their offices sport the very British "Headmistress" engraved on a plaque as opposed to the more American "Principal". Later on, we find out such a Headmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull (Ferris) even represented Great Britain at the 1972 Munich Olympics in the Shot Put discipline - one wonders if Team GB's true-to-life athlete from that year in that event ever got round to seeing De Vito's film, and if so, at all got a kick out it.

But we'll come to said headmistress. First and foremost, there is Matilda, who is deftly played by a certain Mara Wilson. Matilda is the daughter to Zinnia Wormwood (Perlman) and Harry Wormwood, played by Danny De Vito in a role thus seeing him contribute to the film in one of three capacities (the others being the narrator, who's incarnation is not linked to the body of the movie, and that of the aforementioned director). When we first witness her coming into contact with Harry and Zinnia on the day of her birth, we observe how different they both look in comparison to the other parents at the hospital whom are welcoming newborns; maybe it has something to do with the fact the Wormwoods' first born, Matilda's older brother Mikey (Levinson), arrived before her and had all of that attention and love parents lavish upon their babies, whereas those other newfound folks are here experiencing it for the first time. Whatever it is, and in spite of the fact it is no excuse at all, the fondness for childcare and such has long since evaporated from the Wormwoods as we witness Matlida develop through the stages of growth into an infant.

In this sense, she had to, because any other child would have died. Her father, Harry, is a short and stocky individual; a slimy and fast-talking businessman; an optimisation of greed, a man about as oily and greasy as the mechanical interiors to those second-hand cars he flogs to unsuspecting customers when many-a thing are wrong with them. Zinnia, her mother, is a stick-thin beauty obsessed vanity piece with a thick New York City accent and an enclosed mind to match; a woman too old to be dressing as loosely as she does and too ignorant to anything to notice everything that is wrong around her. What little joy she has with her parents during the early stages of her life occurs when she plays practical jokes on them; a scene at a restaurant after they've all gone out for dinner begins with a shot of a tray of cakes being wheeled out of the kitchen and around the bunched up tables – then we realise Matilda's father has his hat stuck to his head on account of some super glue, and if we cannot anticipate the messy end to the scene involving said cakes, we just aren't trying hard enough.

It is whilst at school that the events which set in motion Matilda's change in life occur, only it is initially a school run by the aforementioned Agatha Trunchbull and it isn't so much a school as it is a prisoner of war camp - a place with high fences accompanied by barbed wire; a solitary confinement room as well as, and it'll probably upset others more than it did me, a large brick chimney on top of one of the more lower key structures in the compound which acts as a somewhat misplaced piece of concentration camp-like iconography. At school, she meets the wondrous Miss Honey who's played by actress Embeth Davidtz of whom, rather unfortunately in its keeping up to speed with the previous point, three years earlier starred in Schindler's List. Miss Honey is Matlida's teacher; a prim, slim and elegant person; an intelligent woman with a delicate look about her, someone is stark contrast to Trunchball's big blundering brute of an authoritarian – where Miss Honey will waltz around her classroom clutching a flower by its stem implementing education, Trunchball will stomp around the playground wielding a riding crop instilling fear. The film is one of the more uplifting movies about human suffering, a piece with a nihilistic edge seemingly desperate to burst out but settling for something fantastical and rounded so as to not be too divorced from its audience. It's a very difficult film to hate, a very easy film to get into but a tough film to feel an awful lot more than indifferent about.

I have no patience for the kind of exaggerated, one-dimensional children's movies that Hollywood tends to churn out (incl. the Harry Potter franchise), which is not to say that those movies are necessarily bad, but simply that I am not the target audience - or rather, the target age group. However, some of the best children's movies are sufficiently well-produced as to be enjoyable for adults as well - at least some adults. I do consider myself (to quite a high degree, even) to still be young, imaginative and playful, and as such I like to think that, if a children's movie is really good, I would also enjoy it. "Matilda" certainly does the trick for me. It is wonderful in every way, and unlike the Potter movies it hits the exact comical tone that makes the exaggerated things - like the cruelty and insensitivity of the parents - really work. I was entertained throughout this movie, and with a children's movie this doesn't happen often.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

I believe this film best represents the themes behind Roald Dahl's rather subversive children's literature. It follows the continuity of both "The Witches" and "James and the Giant Peach," casting repulsive Trunchbull into the roles of Grand High Witch and repulsive evil aunt, with a bit of the ogre (especially during the chase in Magnus House).

It's also pretty obvious that J.K. Rowling had read Roald Dahl long before she wrote the first of her Harry Potter books. I find it very odd how few people have noted Roald Dahl's literary influence on the spate of children's fantasy authors today. All the elements for Harry are here, in Matilda, right down to her unpleasant 'Muggle' family -- the Wormwoods -- and a brutish, Dudley-like brother.

And for the record, Mara Wilson does a good job!

From the children's book by Roald Dahl about a brilliant, self-sufficient youngster from an outrageously dysfunctional family developing her telekinetic powers and using them when the time is right. A triumph of art direction and special effects wizardry, however the film, directed by Danny DeVito (who also narrates and plays Matilda's father), is perhaps too stuffed with gimmicks and feels a bit top-heavy. DeVito does a fine job at mounting this story, but it might have been more rewarding without the smeary food fights and overacting adults. The climactic moments lose laughs because of this overkill, and there's an odd preoccupation throughout with gross-out humor and gluttony. A fun show for the first hour. **1/2 from ****

It captures the essence of heartwarming fun with heartwarming humor, but I guess anything with Danny DeVito in it is going to be good, (besides Jumanji: The Next Level). He's a legend and we were lucky to have him.

"I'm smart your dumb, I'm big your little, I'm right your wrong and there's nothing you can do about it!" What a catchphrase – I could use that on my brother sometime but anyhow this was an influence on Matilda that made her strong and prepared her for her turbulent time ahead at school, especially with a nasty head teacher 'Miss Trunchbull'. Roald Dahl had written this book to show that a small girl like Matilda can show courage and get herself out of a bad situation, once the film had been made, everything I can remember from the book was alive with a sweet girl to a lazy Mum and Dad (played by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman). I give this film 10/10.

This was not a bad film, but it could have been so much better. Mara Wilson was adorable as Matilda, and the acting was quite good. But "bad guys" of the film were so outlandish and cartoon-like that I found them more comical then disdainful. I know it's not meant to be a realistic film, but the villains of the film are so unrealistic I find them hard to hate. It's a good film for kids, as they would not really notice the flaws. The one that bugged me most was the Headmistress. I'm not insulting Pam Ferris's acting, but the character was unoriginal and two dimensional. And if she hates kids so bloody much, then why is she that principal at an elementary school? If you're after a truly good Roald Dahl film, skip Matilda and just watch The Witches.

I remember that when i was younger i fell in love with this book. It was just that kind a book that kids like. A little child beat the evil headmaster & parents.

And when i watched this movie,i was so....soooooo boooored. Thank god, that there is a fast forward on remote control. Everything was so predictable and dull. Sure, i can find a thing or two that i like. For instance, Danny DeVito. As always a great storyteller and not bad acting here + the camera movement is unusual and some scenes actually provides some black humor.

But hey, if you're IQ isn't below 80 (kids excluded), you'll see that this movie contains just far too many mistakes too classified as a classic "children-stories" such as Neverending story (part 1), The Goonies, E.T., etc. and it certainly doesn't deserve a better grade.

2 out of 10 (and please, rather read the book!)