Matilda (1996)

I remember seeing this film as a child, and I enjoyed it to bits. It even had me jumping of my couch due to the horrible school principal, as Matilda was inside her house searching for the "treasure" – that was probably the best part of the movie. It's a real shame we barely see any children as bright as Matilda in this film, but one thing is for sure that Matilda is a huge inspiration. I'm just amazed this is now over two decades old, but the magical thing about it is that it never seems to get old – how the irony.

I love this movie and look forward to seeing the Broadway production next year. Mara Wilson is such a precocious little star. I generally dislike kid actors but could watch her forever. Roald Dahl brings us a host of quirky characters who are often symbols of a society that isn't much fun for kids. Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman are Matilda's dysfunctional parents who treat her like dirt. She has two gifts: and indomitable spirit and telekinesis. She finally is allowed to go to school, but the school she attends is a nightmare where Miss Trunchbull, an ex-hammer throwing Olympian is in charge. She abuses the children physically and mentally. Eventually, it's going to come down to Matilda and this woman. Matilda enlists her teacher, Miss Honey, who finally gives her the things she needs, love and respect. Of course, Miss Honey is going to pay a price for her aid to the little girl.

Childhood memories aside, this movie barley holds up.Its antagonist is ridiculous, being able to get away with torturing children in a society where their parents can enjoy TV shows. Any child in their right mind would have told their parents or the police and that lady would have been fired.Furthermore, Matilda's parents are some of the worst characters ever spawned out of film. Were they supposed to relate to children with abusive parents? Its as if the main demographic is mentally abused children and yet that number of children pales in comparison to the number of children who love their parents and attend a good and caring school. This movie will end up labeling school principals as incarnates of hell and would make parents look like the biggest douches in the world. And people LOVE this movie! Are you kidding me?This film is laughable at best. Its 'redeeming' aspects stress strength in solidarity, and a love for learning. But in the context these things are being shown, they are nothing. Lessons that fail because they are overshadowed by the utterly stupid parents and a demonic principal that will never exist in the real world.I suppose people will blame me for failing to address other aspects of the film, like the good teacher, or Matilda's friends. Of course the teacher is also laughably perfect, as if to say that such a person also exists in the real world. Giving children the expectation that maybe they will meet a person that nice, further inspiring mixed feelings toward their own parents and their school. But neither do I address Matilda's powers, which she uses to solve problems, making everything look laughably easy to do in an abusive situation. Which would make children fail to realize that a lot of their comforts in life come from the hard work their parents put in.This movie is fine and fun to watch. But it is most certainly not a good movie, regardless of how much you loved it when you were 6 years old.

Matilda is born into a difficult situation (remember this is a comedy) with arguably the worst (not physically abusive) parents ever, from when they drive her home with the car seat sliding around in the back of their station wagon, to her mother denying that she is old enough to go to school, so Matilda can stay home to receive packages (of stolen car parts) - remember? comedy!The parents are played perfectly by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman - two comic geniuses.But the star is Mara Wilson as Mitilda, the little girl who takes care of herself and teaches herself to read, and through this self-determination and READING, she saves herself. An excellent role model for any child. An excellent film to rent for National Library Week in April.