THE INITIAL RELEASE (1996)
Matilda is adapted from an illustrated novel created by children’s author Roald Dahl. The setting for the book is England as per the authors nationality. However — The movie switches this up by moving the setting to a suburban town in the United States. Matilda’s director Danny DeVito discovered the story from his young daughter along with his co-star and wife (Rhea Perlman of Cheers fame) and both saw potential as they felt a connection to the source material. Matilda is described as a darkly comedy centered around the juxtaposition of wicked grown ups and the childlike wonder of a young girl with unknown power. Perlman and DeVito saw an intriguing challenge that they wanted to tackle and bring to the big screen. The film was released in 1996 amid mixed reviews.
A noticeable difference from the book and film is the portrayal of Matilda’s power. In the book, We understand her power to be a miracle that she is both elated and terrified to have. In the movie, We are given a more “super heroic” approach as she jovially accepts her ability quite early on and learns to control it. Largely the content of the screenplay is translated directly from what was originally written. The film may have flopped commercially — but it still enjoys something of a cult following to this day.
MY FULL EXPERIENCE (1996 – 2014)
There was a fair haired boy named James. I can’t tell you details about him as I don’t recall much else. I only remember that i saw him cry on his birthday. James didn’t really fit in with the rest of us. That was a problem from our point of view.
His mother had invited the whole of our fifth class to his home and very few had actually shown up. Naturally, there was this curiosity about James built up by virtue of his quiet nature. I remember finding it hard to understand why he would get such a hard time from the others. It wasn’t until the day of his birthday that I understood.
The question that we had been presented had only one answer in our minds. “Which one of these movies would you kids like to watch?” his mother asked showing us two VHS tapes straight from the rental store. The incorrect option was Matilda. “Thats a movie for girls!” – this was all the reasoning we needed to tease James. Its strange to look back upon our treatment of him and wonder why we were allowed to stick around after we had caused him to break down in tears. We gave a forced apology each and sat quietly for the duration of the movie. As a nine year old, I wasn’t savvy to 
the irony of the situation. The message of the movie that I was watching mirrored the circumstances between myself and James. In this case, I was Mister Wormwood. I was the bad guy.
The story of Matilda is of a girl who is different to others. Her family doesn’t understand her. They dictate to her interests that they believe she should have. When she rejects these interests, They see her as a rotten apple. A weird child who enjoys reading instead of watching television like her older brother. Her Father Mister Wormwood (played by Danny DeVito) is the most vocal detractor of her behaviour. It is through his negligence as a parent that he fails to see that Matilda is special.
The bright young bookworm has an advanced mind that works at a rapid rate for her age. Additionally, she possesses the particularly unique gift of telekinesis. These are two assets that play a big role in her life, but are largely trumped by her overall greatest strength. The character’s positivity, despite living in a gloomy existence, shines through even with constant setbacks from her tyrannical parents. Her desire to learn and meet new people is what drives her to push back against those who look to fit her into a certain mold. It’s only really upon her enrollment into school life that she meets those who understand her as a person. This is where she comes to meet her first true friends. The most notable of which is her teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz). A kind person who she comes to admire and cherish the time she spends together with in each class.
Alongside her friends comes a new enemy. Missus Trunchbull (played excellently by Pam Ferris) is an evil dictator of a principal that rules over her pupils with an iron fist. She is the main foil to the unassuming students of Crunchem Hall — who do little to incite her rage. The explosive mixture of this crotchety miser Trunchbull and our ever optimistic protagonist builds to scenes of light humor that become more prevalent with the emerging 
mischievous nature of Matilda. It leads to her eventual rise to becoming a leader of sorts to her classmates in a rebellion against their wicked principal. The Matilda/Trunchbull dynamic brings a cheeky tone to the typically dark affair that is on offer right up to the climax.
For families, this is a flick that tells a sombre story with a light-hearted wonderful main character. Lead actress Mara Wilson is a perfect anchor for this Roald Dahl tale intended to be a peering eye from a child’s view on adults in positions of authority. The side characters are delightfully varied and well portrayed. Its well cast from top to bottom.
The underlying messages of the story are ones of embracing difference, accepting yourself and having an optimistic look in the darkest of days. A younger me jeered others due to the environment i was brought up around. Society taught me that a young male should be interested in certain things that are perceived as more masculine and reject femininity . The family orientated Matilda tells kids to not be fearful of contrasting differences in interests no matter what they may be– and that is wonderful .
As a kid, I wish I had the sense to stand outside of a group and set myself apart by being the one to befriend the kid that was different.
As an adult, I have become mindful of how i should rightfully treat people and realize the mistakes i have made in my past. Director Danny DeVito crafted a guideline on this very notion that we should be aware of our own behavior before we judge someone else’s.
Love what you want without shame, because that is what makes you who you are. A perfect message illustrated well in this rightfully beloved nineties movie. Matilda is a classic that hopefully will be seen by young generations in years to come.
