Matilda (1996)

Story of a wonderful little girl, who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher vs. the worst parents ever and the worst school principal imaginable.

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writers:

Roald Dahl (book), Nicholas Kazan (screenplay)

Stars:

Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Mara Wilson

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mara Wilson	...	Matilda
Danny DeVito	...	Mr. Wormwood / Narrator
Rhea Perlman	...	Mrs. Wormwood
Embeth Davidtz	...	Miss Honey
Pam Ferris	...	Trunchbull
Paul Reubens	...	FBI Agent
Tracey Walter	...	FBI Agent
Brian Levinson	...	Michael
Jean Speegle Howard	...	Miss Phelps
Sara Magdalin	...	Matilda, 4 Years
R.D. Robb	...	Roy
Gregory R. Goliath	...	Luther (as Goliath Gregory)
Fred Parnes	...	Waiter
Kiami Davael	...	Lavender
Leor Livneh Hackel	...	Julius Rottwinkle

Storyline

Matilda Wormwood is an exquisite and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, Matilda is misunderstood by her family because she is very different from their ways of life. As time passes, Matilda finally starts school that has a kindly teacher, loyal friends and a sadistic principal. As she gets fed up with the constant cruelty, Matilda begins to realize that she has a gift of telekinetic powers. After some days of practice, Matilda suddenly turns the tables to stand up to her parents and outwit the principal.

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Plot Keywords:

villainess | library | anger | watching tv | woman wears eyeglasses | 

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Taglines:

Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for elements of exaggeRated meanness and ridicule, and for some mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Newborn Matilda was played by two sets of twins, one set of girls, one set of boys.

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Goofs

As the Wormwoods are driving out of the hospital parking lot at the beginning of the movie, the shot of the car driving from right to left has been flipped, as evident by the quick appearance of a hospital directory sign in the background being mirrored.

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Quotes

Harry Wormwood: From now on, this family does *exactly* what I say, when exactly, when I say it!
[turns off his lamp]
Harry Wormwood: And right now, we are eating dinner and watching TV!

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Crazy Credits

Newts:

• Mr. Speaker
• Sir Isaac
• Wayne

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Alternate Versions

Freeform and TBS airings strangely have the 1993 TriStar Pictures logo replaced by the 1984 TriStar Pictures logo.

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Connections

Featured in Magic Within (1996)

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Soundtracks

Little Bitty Pretty One
Written by Bobby Day (as Robert Byrd)
Performed by Thurston Harris
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Americanized, but still good

One of my most highly-anticipated films, 'Matilda' is both a treat and a disappointment. The casting of Mara Wilson as the title character is ingenious - the little girl exudes the qualities set forth in Roald Dahl's classic. Unfortunately, the filmmakers apparently could not resist the urge to alter the book, in which Matilda is British and lives in a small village. The movie version, of course, depicts Matilda as American, but what's worse, that she lives in a larger area. This detracts somewhat from the bucolic setting of the book, although not enough to create a starkly different environment.

The casting of Embeth Davidtz as "Miss Honey" was another great choice. While not what I had pictured from the book, Miss Davidtz captures the warmth and energy of the young teacher. Pam Ferris, as the grotesque "Miss Trunchbull," is simply outstanding. Both her demeanor and her looks bring the book's character alive.

'Matilda,' while straying from the book's true form, is still highly enjoyable to watch, especially for those of us who have read the Dahl's masterpiece. Those who enjoy 'Matilda' should also enjoy the movie adaptation of ``The Witches," another Roald Dahl classic.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Roald Dahl's Matilda

Filming Locations:

2186 East Crary Street, Altadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,208,609, 4 August 1996

Gross USA:

$33,459,416

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,459,416

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Jersey Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1