Matilda

Story

Six-year-old Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) is a child genius who lives with her neglectful, dismissive and self-absorbed parents Harry (Danny DeVito) and Zinnia (Rhea Perlman). They’re so neglectful that they haven’t even enrolled Matilda in school, mistakenly believing she’s still only 4 years old.

When school principal Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) buys a car from Harry the truth is revealed, and Matilda is finally sent to elementary school. Miss Trunchbull is intimidating and violent, but Matilda’s teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), is kind and sweet, and she immediately notices Matilda’s intelligence. She asks for Matilda to be moved into a higher class, although the request is denied.

One day, when Miss Trunchbull teaches Matilda’s class for the day, a newt is snuck into her water jug, and she accuses Matilda of putting it there. Angry at the false accusation, Matilda tips the jug over using only the power of her mind. Later, she confesses her strange new power to Miss Honey, but she can’t make it happen again.

Miss Honey invites Matilda over for tea, where she reveals that MissTrunchbull is her aunt, and that she’s taken over control of the family estate following the suspicious death of Miss Honey’s father.

With determination, Matilda learns to harness her telekinetic power and uses it to trick Miss Trunchbull into believing she’s being haunted by Miss Honey’s dead father. Terrified, Miss Trunchbull freaks out and drives away, never to be seen again.

In the end, Matilda’s parents flee the country to escape the FBI, and Miss Honey adopts Matilda and gives her the loving, supportive home she’s always deserved.

Themes

Child neglect; crime; family death; abuse of power

Violence

Matilda (1996) has some violence. For example:

Miss Trunchbull says her teaching motto is, ‘Use the rod, beat the child’.
Miss Trunchbull threatens to beat the students with a leather horse riding crop.
A child is thrown out of the classroom window by Miss Trunchbull.
Children are thrown into ‘The Chokey’, a narrow closet with sharp nails poking through the walls that Miss Trunchbull uses as a form of detention.
Miss Trunchbull grabs a child by her hair and throws her through the air using a hammer-throw technique. The child narrowly avoids landing on the spiked school fence.
Miss Trunchbull throws a dart as Miss Honey enters the office, almost hitting her.
Miss Trunchbull brandishes a knife in front of a child before stabbing it into the table.
Miss Trunchbull force feeds a child cake, almost making him vomit. She then smashes a plate over his head.
Miss Trunchbull holds a child upside-down by his foot.
Miss Trunchbull kicks a cat.
Miss Trunchbull threatens Harry over the faulty car.
Miss Trunchbull realises that someone has broken into her house and chases them through the house, saying, ‘some rats are going to die today’. She also jumps from the second story, causing the floor to shake and a chandelier to fall.
Matilda’s brother flings a carrot at her. Using her telekinesis, she fires it back, making him choke.
Miss Trunchbull says to Miss Honey, ‘I broke your arm once before; I can do it again’.
The students throw food at Miss Trunchbull and chase her out of the school.

Sexual references

Matilda (1996) has some sexual references. For example:

When Matilda is reading the novel Moby Dick, Harry exclaims, ‘Moby WHAT?’ after hearing the title.
Harry kicks the FBI agents out of the house, calling them male strippers.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Matilda (1996) has some substance use – for example, Harry drinks a beer.

Nudity and sexual activity

Matilda (1996) has some nudity and sexual activity – for example, Harry and Zinnia kiss.

Product placement

Matilda (1996) has some product placement. For example:

A Ford vehicle is driven by Harry
Matilda reads the novel Moby Dick
M&M’s and Cheerios are shown

Coarse language

Matilda (1996) has some coarse language and insults.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Matilda (1996) is a heart-warming movie based on the novel of the same name by renowned children’s author, Roald Dahl. Because of this, parents might assume the movie is appropriate for all ages, but the frequent violence, intimidating characters, themes of death, and frequent coarse language make it best suited for older children, with parental guidance recommended for children aged 8 to 12.

The main messages from Matilda (1996) are that love can be found anywhere, and that you shouldn’t have to change who you are for others. The movie also stresses the importance of standing up for what’s right and pushing back against those who bully or oppress others.

Values in Matilda (1996) that you could reinforce with your children are perseverance, friendship, honesty, and imagination.

Matilda (1996) could also give you the chance to have meaningful conversations with your children about safe behaviours and boundaries in real-life situations. For example:

When Miss Honey invites Matilda over to her house, it could be a chance to talk about personal safety, including understanding when it’s okay to spend time with adults outside of school and the importance of always letting a trusted adult know where you are.
When Matilda places Miss Honey’s hand on her chest and says ‘feel my heart’, it could be a chance to reinforce the idea of personal boundaries, including understanding the rules around who can touch your child’s body and when.