Video Review

Matilda

Reviewed by Melissa Pierson | Dec 20, 1996
EW's GRADE
B+

Details Movie Rated: PG; Genres: Comedy, Drama, Kids and Family, Sci-fi and Fantasy; With: Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman and Mara Wilson; Distributor: Columbia Tri-Star

The comic fable Matilda's fortune stands on a singular misfortune: that all too many children will identify with a girl who suffers the cruel cowardice that often masquerades as ''discipline.'' The eponymous heroine (Mara Wilson) of this tale by James and the Giant Peach author Roald Dahl, who knew a few things about cruelty, is belittled by her TV-swilling, know-nothing parents (director Danny DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman). When she arrives at a school run by a Teutonic harridan (Pam Ferris), her anger transforms into avenging powers, making this an ideal rental for the legions of kids looking for a film in which they triumph at last. B+

Originally posted Dec 20, 1996 Published in issue #358 Dec 20, 1996 Order article reprints
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