Matilda (1996 film)

Matilda is a 1996 American fantasy comedy film directed by Danny DeVito. The screenplay by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord is based on Roald Dahl's novel of the same name. The film was released by TriStar Pictures on August 2, 1996 and stars Mara Wilson, DeVito (who also serves as the narrator), Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, and Pam Ferris.

Plot

Matilda Wormwood is a genius, but her parents, Harry and Zinnia (Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, respectively), neglect and mistreat her. At the age of four, she discovers the local library and walks there every day to read while her father is at work, her mother is playing bingo, and her older brother, Michael (Brian Levinson), is at school.

At age six-and-a-half, Matilda begins to lose patience with her parents, expressing a desire to go to school. In retaliation for her father constantly berating her, she adds hydrogen peroxide to his hair tonic, turning his hair an unhealthy blonde. He takes his children to his workshop, where he reveals that the cars he sells are faulty. Matilda accuses him of being dishonest and he belittles her, so she responds by putting super-super-glue on his hat, forcing Zinnia to cut it off of his head. She reads a borrowed library copy of Moby-Dick, which Harry rips up while her family watches television. When he forces her to watch with them, she grows increasingly angry and the television set suddenly explodes.