Matilda

Matilda (1996)

  • 90% of critics liked it
    (21 reviews)

  • 65% of users liked it
    (357,862 ratings)

Based on the book Matilda, by British children's author Roald Dahl, this film moves the setting from the U.K. to the U.S.; otherwise it follows the original closely. Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) is an extremely curious and intelligent little girl who is very different from her low-brow,… More

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PG,
Directed By
Written By
Roald Dahl, Nicholas Kazan
Genres
Comedy, Kids & Family
In Theaters
Aug 2, 1996 Wide
On DVD
Aug 5, 1997
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • M. Faust, Common Sense Media

    Offbeat fantasy gem, but too dark for young kids.

  • Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com

    Not awful and certainly not great, Matilda is a strange little flick, but that's not to say your 9-year-old daughter won't get a solid kick out of it.

  • Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

    DeVito gleefully preserves Dahl's dark comic tone, which should delight both kids and parents.

  • Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

    Slick kids movie that preserves Roald Dahl's gleeful nastiness.

  • Eugene Novikov, Film Blather

    Dark, beautiful adaptation of Roald Dahl story is uncompromising, entertaining and moving.

Read all 6 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Candy R


    Heart-warming movie about a girl with magical powers, a family who doesn't want her and a horrible teacher.

  • Josh L


    A charming and fun children's movie with some nice lead performances. It's nothing that hasn't been done before, but it does everything well enough to get a solid recommendation from me. It's just an entertaining and light-hearted film that will definitely resonate… More

  • Alice S


    So touching, suspenseful, extreme, and campy! Mara Wilson had such a deep, sage-like voice. I hear she didn't grow up so cute though.

  • Jeff "


    Danny Devito's Matilda is again one of those films that you enjoy when you're young, but once you grow up, you realize that the film isn't what it used to be. I'm not a fan of Mara Wilson, and I think she is very annoying. With Matilda, Danny Devito adapts Roald… More

  • Alexander D


    When I was about seven or eight, I read the book, and I really didn't think all that much of it, even though I loved so Roald Dahl books. As for this movie adapted from it, I must say that it has structured part of my childhood, film-wise. MATILDA tells the story of a little… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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Trailers & Clips