From Book to Film 2024: Matilda (1996)
Director: Danny DeVito Run Time: 98 min. Rating: PG Release Year: 1996
Starring: Danny DeVito, Embeth Davidtz, Mara Wilson, Pam Ferris, Rhea Perlman
Country: United States
Language: English
From Book to Film at Gateway Film Center
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See the 2024 lineupAbout the film:
See the world from a kid’s-eye view with Matilda (1996), a modern fairytale that mixes hilarious humor with the magical message of love.
“The contrast of light and dark, good and evil, enlightenment and ignorance, innocence and corruption is the heart of this absurd, insightful, sincere, very funny fairy tale of a movie.”
—Hollis Chacona, Austin Chronicle
Mara Wilson stars as Matilda, a super-smart little girl who’s woefully misunderstood by her parents (Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman), her brother, and an evil school principal. But with the help of a brave best friend and a wonderful teacher, Matilda discovers she doesn’t have to get mad to get even.
About the filmmaker:
Danny DeVito has amassed a formidable and versatile body of work as an actor, producer and director that spans the stage, television and film. Among his extensive acting career are film roles such as Penguin in Batman Returns (1992), Martini in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), and Sid Hudgens in L.A. Confidential (1997); on T.V. he is best known for his roles as Louie DePalma on Taxi and Frank Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In 1989, DeVito branched into directing with his debut film The War of Roses (1989), in which he also appeared as Gavin D’Amato. Other films in DeVito’s directing portfolio include Hoffa (1992), Death to Smoochy (2002), and Matilda (1996). In 1992, DeVito co-founded the production company Jersey Films alongside Rhea Perlman and Michael Shamberg, which produced films like Man on the Moon (1999), Garden State (2004), and Matilda (1996). In 2018, the city council in DeVito’s hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey honored him by declaring November 17th (his birthday) “Danny DeVito Day.”
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