Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that kids will see cartoonish violence, nearly all of it perpetrated by a bully of a school principal, who openly hates her students. A girl is picked up by her pigtails and flung over a fence. A boy is tossed out of a window like a javelin. Another is forced to eat an enormous chocolate cake in front of the assembled school. Children who displease the evil principal are put in "the pokey," a dark closet lined with nails and broken glass. There's a lot of fake profanity, in which adults use mildly rude phrases ("Dog slime!") where they might otherwise swear. When Matilda's parents aren't neglecting her (leaving a 2 year-old to fend for herself for a great portion of the day, for example) they're berating her. Matilda decides to punish her parents. The film explores themes of youthful independence and personal identity, and may encourage kids to read the book and others by the eccentric author Roald Dahl.
Families can talk about movies based on books. After seeing the movie, are you curious to read the book? Or did reading the book make you curious to see the movie? Do you think the movie showed every detail that the book did? Was it at least true to the spirit of the book?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: M. Faust
Based on the popular book by Roald Dahl and spiritedly directed by Danny DeVito, this fantasy explores themes of youthful independence and personal identity.
From the moment she's born, Matilda Wormwood couldn't be more different from her family. Her father (Danny DeVito) is an unscrupulous used car salesman and her mother (Rhea Perlman, the real-life wife of DeVito) is a ninny who spends every day playing Bingo. Matilda learns to take care of herself; by the time she is 6 she has read all of the books in the children's library and moved on to Moby Dick.
When her father finally allows her to go to school, it's a dream come true for Matilda. Her sprits sag only a little when she finds that the principal, Miss Trunchbull, openly hates all kids. Fortunately, Matilda's teacher Miss Honey recognizes Matilda's exceptional abilities (which include some telekinetic powers) and becomes her loyal friend.
There are few people who don't sometimes feel unappreciated, misused, and misunderstood. Adolescents are especially prone to such feelings as they come to grips with the world around them. Those are the feelings that MATILDA recognizes and confronts. Young Matilda has a bum deal with a family that can't begin to understand how special she is. Yet she never lets this get her down for long, always making the best of whatever situation she's in.
For younger children, though, especially those having some particularly difficult growing pains, Matilda may nurture morbid thoughts. Matilda is able to free herself from a family that is thoroughly boorish, but kids in real life have to learn to make connections with the people around them, not look for ways to run away. It's a difficult lesson, but most kids will accept that this is an exaggerated fantasy.
In fact, the exaggeration is what makes it so much fun. As both star and director, Danny DeVito retains the devilish sense of fun that marks most of his films. Although he hasn't really made a film here for kids (at least not younger ones), he knows how to appeal to and present a child's perspective. Potentially scary scenes, such as Miss Trunchbull's spinning a girl around by her pigtails, are never really frightening because they're just too silly and the movie itself is so non-threatening.
Matilda fans may want to check out other movies inspired by Roald Dahl books, such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.
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ViolenceCartoonish violence, nearly all of it perpetrated by a bully of a school principal. A girl is picked up by her pigtails and flung over a fence. A boy is tossed out of a window like a javelin. Children who displease the evil principal are put in "the pokey," a dark closet lined with nails and broken glass. |
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LanguageThere's a lot of fake profanity, in which adults use mildly rude phrases ("Dog slime!") where they might otherwise swear. Adults berate kids a great deal. |
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Social BehaviorWhen Matilda's parents aren't neglecting her (leaving a 2 year-old to fend for herself for a great portion of the day, for example) they're berating her. Matilda's principal openly hates the children in her charge. Matilda decides to punish her parents. |
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