A warm, sharply funny fantasy about a brilliant child pushing back against neglectful adults, with real emotional bite beneath the whimsy. It’s especially rewarding if you like kids’ stories that treat childhood frustration seriously and end on catharsis.
Matilda
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Comedy · Family
Fri · 1h 38m
Director: Danny DeVito
Starring: Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman
Overview
Matilda Wormwood is an brilliant and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, her parents, Harry and Zinnia, fail to see that fact. As time passes, she finally starts school and has a kind teacher, loyal friends, and a terrifying, sadistic headmistress. As she becomes fed up with the constant cruelty, she discovers she has a special gift that she just might be able to use to outwit the unruly adults around her.
Director
Danny DeVito
Cast
Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, sharply funny fantasy about a brilliant child pushing back against neglectful adults, with real emotional bite beneath the whimsy. It’s especially rewarding if you like kids’ stories that treat childhood frustration seriously and end on catharsis.
Best for
families with older kids
fans of magical realism
viewers who like dark-tinged family comedies
readers who enjoy underdog stories
fans of school-set stories with a strong villain
Skip if
you want purely light, consequence-free kids’ entertainment
you’re sensitive to cruelty toward children or animals
you dislike broad, cartoonish adult performances
you prefer subtle fantasy over heightened, theatrical storytelling
Overview
Matilda is one of those rare family films that understands how frightening childhood can feel, then gives that fear a mischievous, empowering release. It balances sweetness and menace with a confident comic edge, and it never talks down to kids even when it’s working in a fairy-tale register.
Worth noting
The movie’s emotional center is the bond between Matilda and Miss Honey, which gives the story real tenderness amid the chaos. Danny DeVito leans into the grotesque side of the adults, making the Wormwoods and Trunchbull feel like exaggerated monsters from a child’s imagination, but the film still grounds them in recognizable neglect and cruelty.
Bottom line
What lingers is the sense of wish fulfillment done with feeling: books matter, kindness matters, and intelligence can be a form of resistance. It’s playful, a little scary, and deeply satisfying in the way the best children’s films often are.
Top Letterboxd reviews
sree (4.5★) · 8788 likes
we were all in love with miss honey right?
Wood (4★) · 6769 likes
I always thought the low angles were to show the perspective of the child, but then I noticed it was directed by Danny Devito.
itscharlibb (5★) · 5690 likes
george loves this film!
C B (4★) · 5574 likes
Carrie, but, you know... for kids.
Ellie ✨ (4.5★) · 3808 likes
this movie is like,,,, so fucking sad??? until the age of 6 matilda thinks friendship is a concept that's been made up in books because all she knows is her abusive family and that's so fucked up!!!! this is a kids' film!! i'm crying so much right now!!!
Themes
child empowerment, neglectful parenting, found family, school tyranny, magical realism, reading and imagination, revenge fantasy, kindness and mentorship
Topics
family fantasy, dark comedy, coming-of-age, children's adventure, school setting, whimsical tone, emotional catharsis, adaptation, 90s family film