If you have read any of the works of British childrens' author Roald Dahl, you will know one thing his stories lack is sap- which has endeared them to some grown-ups but struck others as unsuitable kid material- although his books may be whimsical their sense of humor is also short, sharp, and often at the expense of others.
"Matilda," directed by Danny De Vito and based on the popular Roald Dahl novel, is a satire of cluelessly cruel parents too absorbed in their own lives to take notice of their children's gifts, remarkable as they might be. In doing this, he introduces us to one the most ridiculously fractured families in kid movie history- the Wormwoods.
The director plays Harry, a hack car salesman who cons people by filling seemingly good automobiles with saw dust (that may not work in the real world, but never mind.) Mom Zinnia (Rhea Perlman, De Vito's real wife) is shrill, nasty-tempered, and completely engrossed in leaving home to play Bingo. Their offspring are Mike and Matilda.
Matilda (Mara WIlson,) the youngest is the focus of the story, and so she should be considering Mike is following in his dad's footsteps as a loud-mouthed ignoramus. Matilda as been virtually abandoned since birth, and left to roam at her own devices. Since she was a young child she has loved books.
As books in the Wormwood house are in short supply, she took time at Bingo games to cross streets to the library- a great feat for a toddler. learning vocabulary at an alarmingly quick rate, Matilda becomes bored with the mundane life her parents expect her to have.
The doltish pair take offense that young Matilda would rather read than watch game shows on the telly day after day. The seem in fear that their daughter may surpass them in intelligence- a feat, honestly, not hard to accomplish. Finally they ship her off to school, where she proves her intellect is far beyond any child (and teacher) at her school.
There she meets Miss Honey (Embeth Davitz,) A teacher as splendid as her name and one of the film's only positive adult characters, who takes an interest in finding material suiting Matilda's growing desire to learn. She also makes her first friend. School begins to become the place she yearns for, bracing for some happy activities after a day with her cruel and indifferent parents.
Everything at school would be great- except that all the children and the teachers live in fear of the sadistic, kid-hating brute of a headmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull (Pam Ferris.) How sadistic? Picture Dolores Umbridge stripped of any even artificial sweetness, and you've got the Trunchbull (in fact, the actual Potter connection is that Ferris played Harry's inflating aunt in the third film)
Matilda, fueled by Miss Honey's love for her and her wishes for a better life, precedes to try to end the Trunchbull's reign of terror. Her having put her superior intellect forward in a series of pranks on her parents, she decides to find a way to drive out the headmistress for good. Aiding her are telekinetic powers, which she hones to use to her advantage.
Unrealistic, perhaps? Well, this film takes a back seat on realism. Take the Chokey for example. When a child fails to live up to Miss Trunchbull's standards, she encloses them in a porta-potty sized room with walls adorned by broken glass and nails, forcing them to stay standing for an unspecified amount of time. While one would think this sort of behavior would end in a social services visit for sure, the kids keep quiet, knowing their parents would dismiss such wild tales.
For Miss Trunchbull's horrible torment, it seems lucky Matilda only unleashed her powers for a series of vicious pranks, tricks, and general comeuppance, rather go Carrie on the people who have done her wrong (a film I haven't seen, but who hasn't heard of it?) Wilson, as Matilda, is appealing, and Ferris played such a ridiculously horrid cow of a character that I felt compelled to make sure she wasn't as hideous in life (she wasn't.)
Obviously, "Matilda" has a short supply of subtlety to begin with, but certain parts that added to the enjoyment of the book. Matilda's brother, Mike, was not entirely dreadful in the literary version, whereas here he has been morphed into a complete bullying jerk. Also, the ending has a clever touch (concerning Matilda's telekinesis) that has been rubbed away to cater to the audience.
"Matilda," though too bizarre for some families, is a lot of fun, and a great movie for kids who are sick of the same old pitiful rehashes dropped for the mass public (Transformers 2 and Air Buddies, anyone?) Anybody with a slightly morbid sense of humor will enjoy this kid-geared fantasy/ back comedy which has no intention of playing nice (Rated PG.)
"Matilda," directed by Danny De Vito and based on the popular Roald Dahl novel, is a satire of cluelessly cruel parents too absorbed in their own lives to take notice of their children's gifts, remarkable as they might be. In doing this, he introduces us to one the most ridiculously fractured families in kid movie history- the Wormwoods.
The director plays Harry, a hack car salesman who cons people by filling seemingly good automobiles with saw dust (that may not work in the real world, but never mind.) Mom Zinnia (Rhea Perlman, De Vito's real wife) is shrill, nasty-tempered, and completely engrossed in leaving home to play Bingo. Their offspring are Mike and Matilda.
Matilda (Mara WIlson,) the youngest is the focus of the story, and so she should be considering Mike is following in his dad's footsteps as a loud-mouthed ignoramus. Matilda as been virtually abandoned since birth, and left to roam at her own devices. Since she was a young child she has loved books.
As books in the Wormwood house are in short supply, she took time at Bingo games to cross streets to the library- a great feat for a toddler. learning vocabulary at an alarmingly quick rate, Matilda becomes bored with the mundane life her parents expect her to have.
The doltish pair take offense that young Matilda would rather read than watch game shows on the telly day after day. The seem in fear that their daughter may surpass them in intelligence- a feat, honestly, not hard to accomplish. Finally they ship her off to school, where she proves her intellect is far beyond any child (and teacher) at her school.
There she meets Miss Honey (Embeth Davitz,) A teacher as splendid as her name and one of the film's only positive adult characters, who takes an interest in finding material suiting Matilda's growing desire to learn. She also makes her first friend. School begins to become the place she yearns for, bracing for some happy activities after a day with her cruel and indifferent parents.
Everything at school would be great- except that all the children and the teachers live in fear of the sadistic, kid-hating brute of a headmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull (Pam Ferris.) How sadistic? Picture Dolores Umbridge stripped of any even artificial sweetness, and you've got the Trunchbull (in fact, the actual Potter connection is that Ferris played Harry's inflating aunt in the third film)
Matilda, fueled by Miss Honey's love for her and her wishes for a better life, precedes to try to end the Trunchbull's reign of terror. Her having put her superior intellect forward in a series of pranks on her parents, she decides to find a way to drive out the headmistress for good. Aiding her are telekinetic powers, which she hones to use to her advantage.
Unrealistic, perhaps? Well, this film takes a back seat on realism. Take the Chokey for example. When a child fails to live up to Miss Trunchbull's standards, she encloses them in a porta-potty sized room with walls adorned by broken glass and nails, forcing them to stay standing for an unspecified amount of time. While one would think this sort of behavior would end in a social services visit for sure, the kids keep quiet, knowing their parents would dismiss such wild tales.
For Miss Trunchbull's horrible torment, it seems lucky Matilda only unleashed her powers for a series of vicious pranks, tricks, and general comeuppance, rather go Carrie on the people who have done her wrong (a film I haven't seen, but who hasn't heard of it?) Wilson, as Matilda, is appealing, and Ferris played such a ridiculously horrid cow of a character that I felt compelled to make sure she wasn't as hideous in life (she wasn't.)
Obviously, "Matilda" has a short supply of subtlety to begin with, but certain parts that added to the enjoyment of the book. Matilda's brother, Mike, was not entirely dreadful in the literary version, whereas here he has been morphed into a complete bullying jerk. Also, the ending has a clever touch (concerning Matilda's telekinesis) that has been rubbed away to cater to the audience.
"Matilda," though too bizarre for some families, is a lot of fun, and a great movie for kids who are sick of the same old pitiful rehashes dropped for the mass public (Transformers 2 and Air Buddies, anyone?) Anybody with a slightly morbid sense of humor will enjoy this kid-geared fantasy/ back comedy which has no intention of playing nice (Rated PG.)
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