February 7, 1997 -- If you are looking for a good family film, this is one of those rare gems.

"Matilda" is a good fantasy about a little girl, played by Mara Wilson, who as an intellectual, grows up alone and outcast by her crass, stupid and morally corrupt parents, well played by Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman.

Her only friend at first is a kindly old librarian, and later by her teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), who are both terrorized by the Nazi-like headmistress of the school, Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris). Trunchbull is a delightfully nasty villain.

In addition to being a genius, it turns out that Matilda also posses the power of telekinesis, which she uses to punish those who deserve it. This is a very broad comedy which can be appreciated by both adults and children.

The only problem with it is that Matilda plays practical jokes on her parents to punish them for their bad behavior. If kids who watch this movie imitate that behavior, some parents might regret having shown their kids this movie. Given that warning, this is in all other respects a lot of fun to watch. It rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 1997 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.