Matilda
PG-13
1996
Comedy · A brisk 98 minutes that never drags despite building slowly to its telekinetic payoffs.
Solid crowd-pleaser
7.0/10
IMDb
92%
Fresh
72
72/100
Metacritic
🎬
7.2/10
TMDB
The brief
Danny DeVito transforms Roald Dahl's darkly whimsical tale into a perfectly unhinged kids' movie that never talks down to its audience. The film balances genuine menace (Pam Ferris as the child-hurling headmistress is genuinely terrifying) with bursts of magical joy, all wrapped in DeVito's signature twisted humor and surprisingly warm heart. Mara Wilson anchors it all with a performance that's smart without being precocious, while the adults commit fully to the story's exaggerated cruelty and kindness. This hits the sweet spot for anyone who loves when family films have real teeth, like The Witches or Lemony Snicket.
whimsical dark comedy
telekinetic empowerment
dickensian cruelty
magical realism
child genius
adult absurdity
righteous rebellion
The verdict
If you love family films that trust kids to handle genuinely dark humor and menacing villains, this is Danny DeVito's brilliantly twisted triumph that respects its audience's intelligence. If you prefer sanitized Disney-style fare or get uncomfortable when children's movies have real bite, you'll find this too intense and weird for comfort.
Watch with
- 👨👩👧👦 Perfect for families who appreciate clever humor
- 🧒 Kids who can handle some intense bullying scenes
- 👥 Fans of stories about outcasts finding their power
- ⚠️ May be too intense for very young children
Heads up
- Extreme child abuse and neglect by parents (frequent)
- Sadistic headmistress physically terrorizes students (moderate)
- Children thrown around and locked in spiked closet (moderate)
- Emotional abuse and humiliation of children (frequent)
Credits
- Director
- Danny DeVito
- Cast
- Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, Pam Ferris, Paul Reubens, Tracey Walter
Official synopsis
Matilda Wormwood is an exquisite and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, her parents, Harry and Zinnia
