In the realm of stories, there is no writer comparable to Roald Dahl. His stories have such a bizarre and eccentric twinge to them, it takes even the more mundane tales and explodes them into tales of fantasy and imagination and twisted humor. While the most obvious and famous of his stories is “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” a very close second is “Matilda”, which already saw a film adaptation in the 90s directed by Danny DeVito. Now, here comes an adaptation of an adaptation, a filmed version of the Broadway musical version of “Matilda” simply titled “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.”
Directed by Matthew Warchus (“Simpatico,” “Pride (2014)”), who directed the stage show, and written by Dennis Kelly (“Black Sea,” “Together”), who wrote the stage show, the film follows young Matilda Wormwood, played by Alisha Weir (“Don't Leave Home”), as she deals with mean and idiotic parents, played by Stephen Graham (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Public Enemies”) and Andrea Riseborough (“The Devil’s Whore,” “Oblivion”), and the tyrannical principal Miss Trunchbull, played by Emma Thompson (“Love Actually,” “Angels in America”), with the help of her kind teacher Miss Honey, played by Lashana Lynch (“No Time to Die,” “The Woman King”), and librarian Mrs. Phelps, played by Sindhu Vee (“Starstruck (2021)”).
The plot will immediately be familiar to anyone who’s seen the 90s film or read the original book, as not much has changed in adaptation here. Some elements have been cut and streamlined, more on those later, but this isn’t a radical reinvention of the material by any means. Weir is adorable and fierce as Matilda, grounding her in a mature view of the cruelty of the world without losing her childhood spirit. Lynch is the film’s heart, and arguably the best Miss Honey of any adaptation thus far. She’s incredibly kind and just melts your heart nearly the moment you meet her. The same goes for Vee, who’s passionate love of Matilda’s stories is always a delight.
Graham and Riseborough are both fine, tracking in the same kind of big character choices and extravagant overplaying that every actor to fill the Wormwood’s shoes has since the beginning. Thompson, meanwhile, defies the potential stunt casting of her role and simply fades into the nastiness of Trunchbull with utter glee. Not since her turn in the “Nanny McPhee” films has she so fully lost herself in a role, and it becomes a delight to see her throughout the picture.
Anyone who’s listened to the soundtrack or seen the stage musical will be familiar with the infectious tunes here and not much has changed regarding the songs. “Quiet” is still a heartbreaking ballad that many a young adult will likely relate too, “When I Grow Up” will bring smiles and tears to parents of all kinds, and “Revolting Children” is a perfect display of Dahl’s classic wordplay mixed with a high energy victorious number. However, all of that only applies to the songs included, as there have been quite a few cut. “Loud,” “Pathetic,” “Telly” and the entire character of Matilda’s brother have all been cut from the film, and the story of the Trapeze artist and the escapologist have been turned from songs into spoken story segments.
It’s natural to have numbers cut when adapting a musical to film, but it feels like large swaths of the musical are missing, and these cuts don’t help what feels like a two and a half hour long musical squeeze itself into a 117-minute runtime. It also doesn’t help that a major climactic moment feels extremely out of place, resembling something closer to the finale of a superhero television series rather than a moment in a musical adaptation of “Matilda.”
What songs do remain though are fully of incredible choreography and imagination across the board. “Revolting Children” is a massive highlight as various kids hop around the screen in near flawless synchronized dance. It’s a film that, at the very least, isn’t afraid to be a musical, and the production design is a masterful display of color and choreography. Even if a few weak digital effects show the film’s budget, the high quality of the practical sets and design of everything is nothing short of impressive.
It’s likely that
the biggest fans of this filmed version of the Broadway hit will be the people
who haven’t seen or listened to the stage version, as they won’t be familiar
with the cuts made to fit the filmed format. Even if you are aware though,
those excised moments can’t damper a high energy, gorgeously designed and
choreographed musical adventure with some great performances and sense of
childlike wonder. 3.5/5
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