Film Review: Matilda the Musical

Movie musicals are, at best, hit and miss. Some, like last year’s adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, take already-questionable source material and make it even worse, because you cannot (usually) get away with the same things in a film that you (sometimes) can on stage. Some, like the 2012 adaptation of Les Miserables, start out promising but are ruined by the casting of famous actors who cannot sing. And some, like 2019’s Cats, are just so baffling in their badness that they feel like a fever dream or a particularly weird drug trip.

Then you get the rare gem: a cinematic musical that actually works. The written-for-screen La La Land and The Greatest Showman are two obvious examples. Then there’s the even-rarer beast: film adaptations of stage musicals that are good. Last year gave us In the Heights, and this year gave us Matilda.

What’s it about?

When Matilda Wormwood is born, her parents do not want her. Matilda is highly gifted. She teaches herself to read and devours books from a young age, and one of her closest friends is Mrs Phelps, who runs the library. She also plays pranks to get back at her parents for their neglect and abuse.

When Matilda’s parents are forced to send her to school, she’s put into the class of the kind Miss Honey, who quickly recognises the young girl’s extraordinary abilities. Unfortunately, the school is run by Agatha Trunchbull, a cruel and child-hating tyrant who soon develops a vendetta against Matilda. But it turns out that her brilliant mind isn’t Matilda’s only superpower and that she’ll do whatever it takes to stop bullies…

Any content notes?

Matilda is rated PG, making it suitable for most viewers. There is no bad language or sexual content.

Mr and Mrs Wormwood abuse Matilda. They call her names, neglect her, and make her sleep in an attic. There’s also a scene in which Mr Wormwood rips up a book Matilda is reading, and another scene in which he physically manhandles her and throws her to the ground.

Miss Trunchbull terrorises the children and occasionally physically abuses them, including throwing a girl across the playground by her pigtails and pulling on a boy’s ears until they stretch. None of them suffer from lasting harm as a result.

Matilda: My Review

Roald Dahl’s Matilda was my favourite book when I was about seven or eight years old. As a geeky, bookish child, Matilda Wormwood made reading and being smart cool. This delightful new adaptation does justice to the original book and includes plenty of nods to the much-loved 1996 American version starring Mara Wilson, while also bringing plenty of its own brand of musical comedy charm to the table.

Film still of Alisha Weir as Matilda Wormwood

Matilda is played by 13 year old Alisha Weir, who makes the role her own with a kind of quiet determination. Her Matilda is a moving picture of a child who has clearly been damaged by abuse, but who hasn’t let her spirit and sense of self be crushed. Weir’s performance is confident and convincing, and I look forward to seeing what this talented young actor will do next. She is joined by a talented emsemble of youngsters, many of whom have already appeared on professional stages, who perform with an exuberance that is a joy to watch.

Miss Trunchbull is played, improbably yet brilliantly, by the legendary Emma Thompson. Thompson pitches this iconic, tyrannical villain perfectly—outrageously exaggerated, but with enough moments of genuine horror to avoid falling into the “pantomime baddie” trap.

Film still of Emma Thompson as Miss Agatha Trunchbull

Film still of Lashana Lynch as Miss Jennifer Honey

Lashana Lynch is wonderfully warm as Miss Honey, Matilda’s beloved teacher and the light to Miss Trunchbull’s dark, in an interpretation that is less saccharine and perhaps more fully realised than the 1996 film version. Her “My House” will quietly break your heart. I also loved the expanded role that librarian Mrs Phelps, played by comedian Sindhu Vee, takes on in this version.

This version of Matilda leans into its stage musical origins with an overall vibe that is decidedly theatrical. It’s brightly coloured, it’s stylised and over the top (peppered with tiny moments of heartbreaking subtlety, mostly in the form of Weir’s facial expressions), and it’s full of dance routines that would be totally at home on a West End stage. The sequences with the acrobat and the escapologist are among the film’s highlights.

Tim Minchin’s songs are infectiously catchy, with memorable melodies and wordplay aplenty. Coming in at 1 hour 57 minutes, the film features 12 of the 16 original songs from the West End show. Purists may be disappointed that every song didn’t make the cut but, as a family film that’s likely to appeal to a young audience, it’s understandable that the producers wanted to keep it under 2 hours.

Film still of Alisha Weir (centre) with some of the child cast of Matilda

With inspired casting and great tunes, Matilda is a feel-good musical with just enough sharp edges to keep it from ever becoming twee. This whimsical and wonderfully entertaining musical film comes with an important lesson attached: when we stand with our friends and use our abilities to say no to bullies, we can change the world. I loved it.

Where to see it

Matilda is currently playing in cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, and will arrive on UK Netflix sometime in 2023.