Matilda
Based on a Roald Dahl book, this movie is understandably quirky and sweet, and perhaps a little freaky. Matilda is the unwanted second child to Harry and Zinnia Wormwood. Her father is a car salesman who scams his customers, and her mother spends her days at the bingo hall. Her brother is a spoiled brat, but her parents ignore her. They care so little that they don't even know how old she is and they leave her home alone as soon as she is big enough to walk and (sort of) take care of her self. Luckily, she is a genius child. At the age of three, she discovers books and spends every day at the library, bringing home wagon-loads of novels, and she falls in love with reading.
When she is old enough to go to school, her parents reluctantly send her to Crunchum Hall Elementary where there is a scary and downright nasty headmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull. The woman hates children, but Matilda's teacher is the opposite: sweet, encouraging, and loving towards her kids. The teacher, Miss Honey, is also Mrs. Trunchbull's niece, and she is treated almost as badly as the students are.
Matilda soon discovers that her uniqueness extends beyond her mental capabilities; she has magic powers. I wonder whether those powers are supposed to be as a result of how advanced her brain development is, but that is never clarified. Matilda uses her powers to defend her schoolmates, and to teach Mrs. Turnchbull a lesson for how cruelly she treats everyone.
In the end, Mrs. Turnchbull is gone for good, and Matilda finds that her real family is her teacher Miss Honey, and her parents sign the paperwork to let Miss Honey adopt Matilda, since the Wormwoods never really wanted her anyways.
There are definitely some really kooky elements to this story, but it is a very cute tale for children. Matilda's self-empowerment and love of books is great, and I wish I had known about this character and her story when I was younger because I am sure that it would have inspired me.
What frustrated me, however, was how cruelly Matilda targeted the negative people in her life. I understand karma, and that she was only behaving according to what her dad told her (that bad people deserve to be punished), but she becomes consumed with revenge at times, and rarely uses her powers except to get back at those who hurt or belittle her. Yes, it is a David and Goliath story, with the hero overcoming the larger, scarier villain, but I wasn't always impressed with her attitude. She was not very forgiving, and some of what she did was mean, even if the headmistress and her parents did deserve it. I feel like she should have let fate deal out punishments rather than interfering, although I suppose it may have been no accident that she had powers with which to exact her revenge. I realize that this is a children's movie and the exaggeration helps to drive the point home, but if I were a parent I would want to make sure that my children realized that revenge is not the answer when one is being treated badly.
Nonetheless, the movie was lighthearted and sweet. It is a little strange, but then again it is Roald Dahl.
When she is old enough to go to school, her parents reluctantly send her to Crunchum Hall Elementary where there is a scary and downright nasty headmistress, Mrs. Trunchbull. The woman hates children, but Matilda's teacher is the opposite: sweet, encouraging, and loving towards her kids. The teacher, Miss Honey, is also Mrs. Trunchbull's niece, and she is treated almost as badly as the students are.
Matilda soon discovers that her uniqueness extends beyond her mental capabilities; she has magic powers. I wonder whether those powers are supposed to be as a result of how advanced her brain development is, but that is never clarified. Matilda uses her powers to defend her schoolmates, and to teach Mrs. Turnchbull a lesson for how cruelly she treats everyone.
In the end, Mrs. Turnchbull is gone for good, and Matilda finds that her real family is her teacher Miss Honey, and her parents sign the paperwork to let Miss Honey adopt Matilda, since the Wormwoods never really wanted her anyways.
There are definitely some really kooky elements to this story, but it is a very cute tale for children. Matilda's self-empowerment and love of books is great, and I wish I had known about this character and her story when I was younger because I am sure that it would have inspired me.
What frustrated me, however, was how cruelly Matilda targeted the negative people in her life. I understand karma, and that she was only behaving according to what her dad told her (that bad people deserve to be punished), but she becomes consumed with revenge at times, and rarely uses her powers except to get back at those who hurt or belittle her. Yes, it is a David and Goliath story, with the hero overcoming the larger, scarier villain, but I wasn't always impressed with her attitude. She was not very forgiving, and some of what she did was mean, even if the headmistress and her parents did deserve it. I feel like she should have let fate deal out punishments rather than interfering, although I suppose it may have been no accident that she had powers with which to exact her revenge. I realize that this is a children's movie and the exaggeration helps to drive the point home, but if I were a parent I would want to make sure that my children realized that revenge is not the answer when one is being treated badly.
Nonetheless, the movie was lighthearted and sweet. It is a little strange, but then again it is Roald Dahl.
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