Matilda (PG, 1996)

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's 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, 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.