Musical adaptation has positive messages, some scares.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Fantasy, unrealistic violence. A child is grabbed by the pigtails and swung around before being thrown through the sky. Parents verbally bully their child and treat her roughly. A headteacher is a mean bully who treats children appallingly. She punishes them by sending them to "chokey," a dark closet with protruding spikes that they are locked inside. She also stretches a child's ears by continuously pulling on them, and another is forced to eat an entire cake. An assault course incudes small explosions. A dangerous circus act involving sharks, dynamite, and chains goes wrong, leading to someone falling from a great height (off-camera). They are later shown dying in a hospital bed. A child discovers they have the power of telekinesis. This leads to a metal cup hitting someone on the back of the head, metal chains forming a giant-like figure that smashes various objects, and a character being flung out of a roof.
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Brands of cereal, sweets, pop, and chips are clearly identifiable but are for the purpose of scene setting rather than for commercial reasons. A couple who are obsessed with money are shown celebrating a business deal with a large amount of cash.
Language
a little
"Brat," "flaming flip," "idiot," "pig," "maggots," "creep," "snot nose," and "hell" are all used. Jokes around farts and burps.
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Showing courage in standing up to bullies and those that misuse power. Creating your own future and refusing to settle. Knowing what's right from wrong. Helping others and defending them from injustices. The power of reading and how it can help both inform and provide escapism.
Diverse Representations
a lot
An impressively diverse cast with multiple (and prominent) roles given to people of color. It's also a movie that is helmed by females of differing generations.
Matilda is a highly intelligent girl who loves to read and use her imagination. She's courageous and loyal, and she stands up to bullies. She does have a mischievous side, but those at the receiving end are all deserving. Her parents, and especially her headteacher, Miss Trunchbull, are all mean people who treat Matilda badly. Miss Trunchbull terrifies the children and punishes them for things they haven't even done. She refers to all kids as "maggots" and has no interest in their welfare or education. But Miss Honey is a kind teacher who makes her lessons fun and has the kids' best interests.
Educational Value
a little
Kids may be inspired to seek out the original kids' book as well as other stories by Roald Dahl.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical is a wonderful adaptation with plenty of positive messages, but it also has scary scenes. It's based on a stage musical, which in turn was based on the same classic kids' book that inspired the well-known 1996 film adaptation. Matilda (Alisha Weir) is a gifted young girl who starts at a school run by the evil Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). Trunchbull runs her school through fear, punishing the students for things they haven't even done. Her methods include force-feeding a child with cake, locking them in a spiked closet, and grabbing one by the hair and throwing them out of the school grounds. Matilda's parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) also treat Matilda appallingly. Yet despite this cruelness, Matilda shows great courage in standing up to them all and defending her schoolmates -- even if this does sometimes include playing mischievous pranks. She also finds comfort in kindhearted teacher Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch) and librarian Mrs. Phelps (Sindhu Vee). Expect some potty humor and language like "brat," "maggot," and "snot nose." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Redemption for a character doesn’t redeem this as a kids movie.
I agree with reviewers that think the portrayal of heinous, illegal cruelty towards children is irredeemable for kids under 10, especially sensitive ones. And vindictiveness towards aggressors from a child is not healthy boundary setting with bullies, it’s borderline psychopathic and depicts violent tendencies. This is the kind of childhood that produces dangerous adults, it’s honestly got no business being made available to children who are unaware adults have the capacity for that level of vitriol to kids. I fully understand some unfortunate children have to deal with bullying, some of which comes from adults. But this introduced a level of cruelty I don’t believe my 7 yo needs to be aware of. Being naive to the horrors of real life is what makes childhood magical.
Mean and angry adults get their comeuppance, but it's not cute
The overwhelming theme is that of purposefully cruel adults (Matilda's parents and the head of the school) tormenting children...in the original film these adults were more bumbling meanies; in this one, rather shockingly angry and hateful and it never lets up. It was a bit off-putting even when you know the plot from previous versions. Some catchy musical numbers save it from being unrelentingly depressing, but this is not a feel-good movie. Tread with caution with more sensitive viewers.
What's the Story?
ROALD DAHL'S MATILDA THE MUSICAL tells the story of a brilliant little girl who loves to read and tell stories. Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) spends most of her time losing herself in books and trying to stay out of the way of her ghastly parents. When she's given the chance to attend school for the first time, her excitement is diminished when she discovers it's run by an evil headmistress called Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). But Matilda is an extraordinary girl, unlike any Miss Trunchbull has ever met.
Adapted from a hit stage musical of the popular kids' book, this magical movie had some excellent source material to work from. Nevertheless, after a successful run on Broadway, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical's transition to big screen is seamless and deserves all the plaudits. Dahl's tale about a girl with extraordinary gifts who uses them to stand up to bullies and defend her friends is timeless. As with most of Dahl's kids stories, a dark undercurrent runs through it -- like Harry Potter, Matilda comes from an unloving and abusive home. But it's never fully allowed to come to the surface. That's largely due to the film's playful humor, beautifully penned songs, and expertly choreographed dance routines.
Relative newcomer Weir navigates the lead role with ease and is ably supported by her fellow talented child actors. Elsewhere, Lashana Lynch gives a charming performance as Miss Honey, one of the few caring adults in Matilda's life. Yet it's Thompson as the cruel Miss Trunchbull who steals the show. Almost unrecognizable, Thompson provides most of the film's laugh-out-loud moments, despite her character being a truly terrible human being. Charming, joyful, and with a big dose of good triumphing over evil, the film gives even viewers who aren't usually fans of musicals much to enjoy.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the central character in Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. What character strengths did Matilda show? Why are these such important traits to have? Would you describe her as a positive role model? Why, or why not?
Have you read the original book the film was based on? How did this compare? What did you think of the music and dancing? What did it add to the story?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Danny Brogan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
