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Poster for Beat the Heat: Matilda (1996)
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Beat the Heat: Matilda (1996)

Opens on June 19

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


Thanks to a partnership with Columbus City Council, all screenings at Gateway Film Center on Tuesday, June 19th, and Wednesday, June 20th, noon until 6:00 p.m., are free to the public and include a complimentary popcorn and soda.

Take a break from the heat, watch a film, or a few, while supporting local, nonprofit cinema. Visit Ticket Center on the day of the screening to reserve your spot!


About 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.”

See our upcoming films
BEAT THE HEAT 2024 IS SUPPORTED BY
Columbus City Council
GATEWAY FILM FOUNDATION MAJOR SUPPORT
Ohio Arts Council
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Columbus Foundation
Campus Partners
National Endowment for the Arts
WITH HELP FROM
WWCD Radio
G&J Pepsi
WOSU Public Media

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