Directed By Matthew Warchus; Screenplay by Dennis Kelly; Starring Alisha Weir, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Sindhu Vee, and Emma Thompson.
Based on Dennis Kelly & Tim Minchin’s 2010 award-winning stage musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel of the same name, Matilda follows a precocious girl (Alisha Weir) with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She has cruel parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) but a lovable schoolteacher, Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch). Unfortunately, the school’s headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson), hates children and just loves punishing those who don’t abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils’ saving grace.
After having its world premiere at Stratford-upon-Avon staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in November of 2010, Matilda debuted in London's West End on November 24th, 2011, where it has been running ever since. The show went on to win a record-breaking 7 Laurence Olivier Awards (including Best New Musical). It then transferred to Broadway on April 11th, 2013, where it earned 12 Tony Award nominations (including Best Musical), and ran for 1,554 performances after closing on January 1st, 2017. I actually got to catch the national tour when it came to my area of residence back in January of 2016. You can read my full review of that here.
After having previously helmed countless stage productions of the musical over the years, Matthew Warchus does a wonderful job of repeating his directorial duties on this film. He absolutely nails the tone of Roald Dahl. Plus, he’s created several imaginative sequences with both the musical numbers (featuring energetic choreography by Ellen Kane) and book scenes. Not to mention that the way the end climax was reimagined cinematically really brought some nice surprises along the way for those who’ve long been familiar with this story. Especially with how they were able to do a lot more here than they ever could on a theatre stage. It also ends with a lovely original song written just for this adaptation titled ‘Still Holding My Hand.’ Another thing this movie does a great job of is exploring how Matilda develops her telekinesis.
Alisha Weir is a true find for the title character. She carries the whole thing on the weight of her shoulders quite successfully. We watch her go from dealing with her cruel parents in the beginning to standing up to the villainous Miss Trunchbull by the end (not to give anything away regarding the latter). Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough are both perfect as Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood. Lashana Lynch is very heartfelt as Miss Honey. Her rendition of ‘My House’ is definitely a standout. Emma Thompson truly delivers a scenery-chewing turn as Miss Trunchbull. The hair and makeup work on her fantastically transforms her into that character.
While the stage version is very well regarded, there are a number of people who personally find the subject to be too dark for a family friendly musical. If you’re one of those people, then this iteration clearly won’t win you over. Although as someone who adored the stage version, I’m glad to say that this is the best movie adaptation we could’ve possibly asked for. Matilda the Musical is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 4.5/5
Based on Dennis Kelly & Tim Minchin’s 2010 award-winning stage musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel of the same name, Matilda follows a precocious girl (Alisha Weir) with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She has cruel parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) but a lovable schoolteacher, Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch). Unfortunately, the school’s headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson), hates children and just loves punishing those who don’t abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils’ saving grace.
After having its world premiere at Stratford-upon-Avon staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in November of 2010, Matilda debuted in London's West End on November 24th, 2011, where it has been running ever since. The show went on to win a record-breaking 7 Laurence Olivier Awards (including Best New Musical). It then transferred to Broadway on April 11th, 2013, where it earned 12 Tony Award nominations (including Best Musical), and ran for 1,554 performances after closing on January 1st, 2017. I actually got to catch the national tour when it came to my area of residence back in January of 2016. You can read my full review of that here.
After having previously helmed countless stage productions of the musical over the years, Matthew Warchus does a wonderful job of repeating his directorial duties on this film. He absolutely nails the tone of Roald Dahl. Plus, he’s created several imaginative sequences with both the musical numbers (featuring energetic choreography by Ellen Kane) and book scenes. Not to mention that the way the end climax was reimagined cinematically really brought some nice surprises along the way for those who’ve long been familiar with this story. Especially with how they were able to do a lot more here than they ever could on a theatre stage. It also ends with a lovely original song written just for this adaptation titled ‘Still Holding My Hand.’ Another thing this movie does a great job of is exploring how Matilda develops her telekinesis.
Alisha Weir is a true find for the title character. She carries the whole thing on the weight of her shoulders quite successfully. We watch her go from dealing with her cruel parents in the beginning to standing up to the villainous Miss Trunchbull by the end (not to give anything away regarding the latter). Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough are both perfect as Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood. Lashana Lynch is very heartfelt as Miss Honey. Her rendition of ‘My House’ is definitely a standout. Emma Thompson truly delivers a scenery-chewing turn as Miss Trunchbull. The hair and makeup work on her fantastically transforms her into that character.
While the stage version is very well regarded, there are a number of people who personally find the subject to be too dark for a family friendly musical. If you’re one of those people, then this iteration clearly won’t win you over. Although as someone who adored the stage version, I’m glad to say that this is the best movie adaptation we could’ve possibly asked for. Matilda the Musical is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: 4.5/5