News that talented director Wes Anderson will bring “Fantastic Mr. Fox” to the screen with an all-star voice cast prompted a renewal of my appreciation for Roald Dahl.
I had just finished reading the beloved book to my 5-year-old son, who laughed himself sick when Mr. Fox insulted the “stupid chickens.” The vile farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, are among the greatest evil creations ever found in a “children’s” book.
Dahl knew how to write on a direct hotline straight to the hearts and minds of children; he never forgot how cruel and dumb some adults look to the ruthless eye of a 10-year- old.
Which brings us to “Matilda,” another wonderful movie adaptation of a Dahl story. Matilda is a smart, kind child with the bad luck of being born into the humiliating Wormwood family. Worse, her uncaring parents school her at an institution whose snarling director looks to be on the lam from an East German Women’s Detention Center.
Matilda is persecuted from all sides, but she survives with a fighting spirit, a few special powers and the help of the loving Miss Honey, her teacher. Together, they plot to uncover a few family secrets and free the school’s oppressed children.
Danny DeVito clearly directed “Matilda” as a labor of love and takes a ruthless star turn as Matilda’s noxious daddy. His equally noxious wife is played by DeVito’s real-life wife, Rhea Perlman, of “Cheers” fame.
If your kids are already sick of school and need a good, rebellious pick-me-up, “Matilda” is the triumph for them.
“Matilda
Rated: PG, for some threatening scenes younger children might find intense.
Best suited for: Elementary school children about 6 to 10 — and all Roald Dahl fans.
