Teachers Stars 2008-03-05

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Film review of Matilda (1996)
Star rating-\\\gg

Matilda was originally written as a children¡¦s novel by Roald Dahl (tales of the unexpected) in 1988. His wry wit and humour certainly makes the book an enjoyable read and this humour still shows in Danny DeVito¡¦s movie version of the novel with a contrast of both American and English actors.

The film is about a young girl called Matilda played wonderfully by Mara Wilson (Miss Doubtfire). Though at the time, Wilson was fairly new to the acting scene; her acting skills still comes across as charming.

Another great actor in the film is the director, Danny DeVito (Mars Attacks), who also plays both the narrator and Matilda¡¦s father. DeVito is both clever and witty throughout the film and is guaranteed to make the viewer laugh.

The storyline consists of an extremely bright young girl living with her incredibly stupid, television addicted parents (Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman) and equally cretinous brother (Brian Levinson) who do not realise the sheer genius in Matilda and basically neglect her. To get rid of Matilda, the parents bundle her off to Crunchem elementary school governed by what Roald Dahl describes as a ¡¥rather eccentric and bloodthirsty member of the stag hounds¡¦ who is played by Pam Ferris (Darling Buds of May). Her rather sarcastic English humour contrasts brilliantly to the American actors.

The only flaw in the film is that in Matilda¡¦s home life, the atmosphere is in slight danger of becoming a little sit-com like. However, Danny DeVito¡¦s excellent narration skills solve this problem as he quotes lines from Roald Dahl¡¦s novel, making the film less American.

Overall, I think that Matilda is a lovely, heart-warming film to be enjoyed by adults and children alike. It is especially warming when Rusted Root¡¦s ¡¥Send me on my way¡¦ is played to accompany the narration fading into the end credits.













By Imogen Kupper

G. S. Gill 2008-02-29

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

atilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson- Thomas and The Magic Railroad, A Simple Wish, Mrs Doubtfire) was born into a family that don't appreciate her. Her family are avid television watchers, but Matilda would prefer to curl up with a book.
Her father (Danny DeVito- Mars Attacks) is a used car salesman who sells used cars at several times the true amount. He makes a deal with a headmistress of a school (Pam Ferris- The Darling Buds of May) that he gives her a car in exchange for Matilda attending her school. But Miss Trunchbull is a terrifying, evil woman who strikes fear into the heart of every child.
But Matilda gains magic powers to take revenge on the wicked people in her life.
This film is a lovely story with brilliant acting that you can watch again and again.

L. Roberts 2007-12-14

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

This film has lots of centemental value to me as it was one of my most favourite films when i was growing up as a kid.
it's fun for the family and the scene where she's making things come to life with that song "Little betty pretty one" by "Bobby Darin", is the ultimate jump around, feel good song.
so i suggest you buy it now and start enjoying your childhood memories over again, as i miss mine.

Louise Stanley 2006-07-01

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

This film is so good - for both kids and adults - that I think Dahl himself must be looking down from Heaven and smiling - after the rumours of what he felt about the production of The Witches. Some of the characterisations, sets and costumes could have been put together by the master of kitsch, Baz Luhrmann, and this is a testament to both Dahl's eye for detail and Danny DeVito's wicked sense of humour - and vice versa. Although in many ways the story has been changed and not least Americanised, Dahl's original book was rather short on substance, despite the fantastic plot, and DeVito's adaptation suits it much better than setting it in phlegmatic old England. Plus Miss Trunchbull as an Englishwoman adrift among Americans makes her character even more grotesque as she brings her curious brand of "English" discipline to an ordinary American suburb, and the way she mimics the cutesy American accents adds much more to her character than if the film had stayed set in England. And since it ends in the way Dahl intended it to - and indeed for fans of Quentin Blake's illustrations, the handwriting on the board is absolutely spot on to that pictured in the book itself, which shows DeVito is paying attention not only to the original but to critics of Americans making films of English children's classics - there is nothing for that peculiarly English snobbery about "disneyfication" to latch on to as there might have been with The Witches.

Although DeVito's additions of the stupid FBI cops enhance the story (and prove that Matilda is just as smart with people who are supposedly on her side, which I loved and which makes her the sassiest heroine for a long time), there is sadly one bit that really annoyed me - Miss Honey. In the book she is down-to-earth, practical and nonchalant about her fate. In the film...ugh, I needed to do my teeth afterwards lest they fall out from all the sugary-sweet acting. From the moment she turns up on screen the film - while not completely ruined - takes a turn for the "unrealistic". I guess Miss Honey had to live up to her name, but Miss Saccharine would have been more appropriate. The stomach-churning episode with the doll and the chocolates is disappointing, but I suppose the film manages to pull it off - just about - with more of Dahl's refreshingly grim humour injected into it just as Honey becomes Honey Monster. I suppose for an American audience the heroine has to be whiter-than-white, but since I was raised on Quentin Blake's gawky bespectacled blue-stocking, I suppose someone coming to this film without the backhistory might not mind.

But...the best thing about films of children's books, like with Narnia, is that the silver screen gives the chance for the characters to really come to life and details which would crowd a hundred-page novella can be added, and the film manages to create a whole world that is just as believable from Matilda's point of view as the Dahl version, without losing any of the master's sparkling wit or erudite points dropped in at a moment's notice. Bravissimo!

Fairygirl 2006-06-17

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I have seen this film loads of times and I have read the book as well.It shows that you can be intelligent as a little kid,like Matilda.She is a very sweet little girl with a beautiful teacher called Miss Honey.In the end,they manage to get rid of Miss Trunchbull,the principal who is insane.She also happens to be Miss Honey's stepaunt.